DNA research paper. The Ligation of EGFP cDNA into pET41a(+)
Shanni He Biol 100K Prof. Jeremy Lee TA: Kasturi Malaviya The Ligation of EGFP cDNA into pET41a(+) I. Introduction Over the course of the last few weeks, we conducted experiments in which our goal was to successfully ligate EGFP cDNA into pET41a(+) in order to transform our recombinant expression plasmids into clones of E. coli. After growing these cultures on varieties of agar plates, we attempted to isolate our recombinant plasmid DNA and ran multiple tests in order to confirm that the EGFP insert worked. GFP was first cloned in 1994 from the jellyfish Aqueorea victoria (Prasher et al., 1992). This useful gene glows green under specific lights allowing us to see when and where proteins appear. The type of GFP we used in our lab was EGFP, which is a humanized version of GFP (Yang et al., 1996). Today, GFP has become one of the most widely used proteins in biochemistry and has sparked man `` y new discoveries in gene expression and protein targeting. In order to clone EGFP, we utilized multiple procedures of recombinant DNA technology. This technology allows scientist to produce DNA artificially by extracting DNA from two different sources and combining them into a single molecule. The first successful production was done in 1972 at Stanford University, which opened a new horizon in drug development and medical discoveries. Human insulin, which is used to help
The control of information in Science - A One World Essay on Biotechnology.
The control of information in Science A One World Essay on Biotechnology by: Nikita Malik 10R As President Roosevelt once said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." In today's society, however, not only do we have a lot to fear about, but we have plenty of reason to be fearful itself. What is unsettling is that the discovery and practice of biological weapons can destroy the lives of millions of people in a matter of mere seconds, and further disturbing is the fact that the key decisions made about the use of this technology is placed in the hands of someone else. That, to me, is something to be scared about. But science and its discoveries, unfortunately, play a major part in the making of our present and future anxieties. "Molecular bio-technology will transform agriculture, energy production, health care, and microelectronics; however, it will also pose significant military and strategic challenges." (Venter, www.pbs.org) One of the main problems we are facing today is the utilization of biological weapons. A boundless debate goes on about whether or not the use of this technology should be restricted. By controlling bio-technology, less developed countries will miss out on several opportunities, for this equipment can eradicate poverty, lack of crops, serve as assistance after natural disasters (or for that matter, after social or economic disasters), and
Biology Notes
In the poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Wilfred Owen challenges the idealized notions of those at home and shows the true devastating reality of war by recounting graphically the death of a soldier after a gas attack. Owen uses visual representations in Dulce to show the mental and physical effects on the soldiers going through the punishment of war and how this changes the young soldiers. The harshness of the simile "bent double like old beggars" illustrates how the soldiers look, showing them as crestfallen and disheartened, "bent". This is not how soldiers are normally depicted they should have their heads held high and marching tall. Owen shows how the young men of war have now become old beggars; they have aged and are begging for their lives; lives that may be taken away from them at any time. This along with "an ecstasy of fumbling" shows the urgent need for the salvation of one's life. The ecstasy of fumbling to put on their gas masks shows the audience how the soldiers have been forced into the bent and begging state to save their lives. The soldiers are beyond exhaustion, they have to find the energy to put on their gas mask or they will face death. The innocence of youth has been lost. Some have lost their lives; others have lost their mental state. The title is ironic and translated means, "It is a sweet and noble deed to die for one's country", but to Owen there is
Entomology is the scientific study of insect.
INTRODUCTION Entomology is the scientific study of insect. Insect are groups of animals which have no back bone (invertebrate). They have three distinct regional divisions (head, thorax and abdomen) in their body make them different from other invertebrate. They have six legs, compound eyes and a hard outer casing made of chitin. Most insects have wings in some form, occasionally vestigial in nature, but some of the more advanced insects, which have evolved social living, have casts which have no wings at all, e.g. workers. Whilst Forensic entomology is a science field which involves the study of insects and other arthropods to gather information about crime scene and support legal investigations. Forensic entomology is mainly concern with the interpretation of insect evidence found in association with decomposing corpses found under suspicious circumstances. (Byrd, 2007) forensic entomology can be divided into three components; medico-legal entomology (this section focus on the criminal aspect of the legal system and similarly deals with the necrophagous (feed on dead tissue) insects that infest corpses) the Urban entomology (deals legal proceeding, which involves insect and other animals that affect human and their immediate environment) and stored product entomology (focus on insect infesting stored commodities, like foodstuffs). (Langford et al, 2005) Forensic
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an in vitro technique, which allows the amplification of a specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) region that lies between two regions of known DNA sequenc
THE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an in vitro technique, which allows the amplification of a specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) region that lies between two regions of known DNA sequence1,2. It is the most widely used target amplification technique that is found in molecular biology. This technique, which was first described by Saiki et al3 and Mullis et al4, has made it possible to detect and quantitate rare target nucleic acid sequences isolated from cell, tissue or blood samples5. The basis of this technique is the ability of DNA polymerase to extend an oligodeoxyribonucleotide primer that is specifically hybridized to a single-stranded DNA template5. Such amplification of DNA is achieved by using oligonucleotide primers or amplimers1. These are short, single-stranded DNA molecules which are complementary to the ends of a defined sequence of DNA template1. A DNA polymerase will enable the primers to extend on single-stranded denatured DNA (template), in the presence of deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) under suitable conditions1. New DNA strands are synthesized and bound complementary to the template strands as double-stranded DNA molecules1. Basically, PCR consists of three thermally separated steps: denaturation at 95°C to ensure complete separation of DNA duplexes into single-stranded molecules; annealing at a temperature
Plasma Membranes in Eukaryotic Organisms
Discuss the Importance of Plasma Membranes in Eukaryotic Organisms. The structure of Plasma Membranes within Eukaryotic cells is often called the fluid mosaic model, and they have a great deal of importance when it comes to the functions of Eukaryotic cells, that happen to be in both plant and animals. Examples of Eukaryotic cells include tissue cells, amoeba, mushrooms, and palisade cells. The membranes of these cells are made up of various different parts; this comprises of integral proteins, peripheral proteins, glycoproteins, cholesterol, lipoproteins, phospholipids and glycolipids. The fluid mosaic model consists of a phospholipids bi-layer. This is where the lipids hydrophobic tails point towards the centre of the membrane and the hydrophilic heads point towards the surface of the fluid mosaic model. This is a brief diagram of the fluid mosaic model. [1][3] The major importance of the cell membrane is providing a permeable boundary that circulates the double membrane cell. Examples of double membrane organelles include organelles such as a mitochondrion and the nucleus. The principle of how cells became double membraned is that the early prokaryotic cell was engulfed by another prokaryotic cell, and that there singular membranes worked together, and formed a double membrane which is more efficient, this is called endosymbiosis. The idea of this fluid mosaic model is to
Does biodiversity increase inland at Crymlyn Burrows?
AS Geography Coursework Adam Mulley Does biodiversity increase inland at Crymlyn Burrows? This investigation is intended to determine whether or not the hypothesis that biodiversity increases inland at the sand dunes in Crymlyn Burrows. Biological diversity is the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative frequency. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and their relative abundance. Sand dunes are formed naturally over a period of time so long as there is a good supply of sand and powerful onshore prevailing winds to blow dried sand from a large tidal range. The sand dunes develop during a process of psammoseral succession whereby the whole ecosystem eventually develops into a Climax Community. It must be taken into account whilst doing the hypothesis that there is a possibility that biodiversity would be different if it had not been for external interference. Nevertheless the primary information needed for the basis of this investigation was the type and individual quantity of plants distributed over a selected area. We sampled herbs and grasses of
Lab report: food dehydration. This experiment focuses on the follow four questions: 1, to calculate the moisture contents on the dry basis of carrot and potato samples; 2, to assess the possible influence of pre-dehydration such as blanching on the qua
Lab report: food dehydration . Introduction In food preservation, dehydration is a common used approach. It is one of the oldest but also a simple and safe way to preserve food. It is process to remove moisture or water away from food. In a low moisture environment, yeast, bacteria and mold cannot grow (Andress and Harrison, 2006). Therefore, dehydration is helpful to minimize the growth of microorganism that is a major reason of food deterioration. At the meantime, drying also reduces the activity of enzymes that cause degradation of some nutrients. For fruit and vegetables that contain high level of water, they can go bad easily if inappropriate storage approach is applied. It was estimated 25-30% of total fruits and vegetable produced is wasted due to spoilage (Ramaswamy and Marcotte, 2006). Furthermore, dehydrated food is usually smaller and lighter and thus is convenient to transfer or store. There are several ways to achieve dehydration in industrial production, such as heat, dry air, air movement, in the sun, in the oven and using a food dehydrator (Ramaswamy and Marcotte, 2006). For some kinds of food, pretreatment such as blanching is required. Blanching which is a process of briefly precooking of food in steam or boiling water is helpful to reduce activity of enzymes, to skill spoilage organisms and to shorten drying time. However, beside the time of storage,
Examine the reasons for the existence and localities of biodiversity hotspots.
Supervision 2: Examine the reasons for the existence and localities of biodiversity hotspots "I have never experienced such intense delight... such a plenitude of forms, colours, behaviours-such a magnitude of Life! What explains the riot?" - Darwin (1851) "The current massive degradation of habitat and extinction of species is taking place on a catastrophically short timescale, and their effects will fundamentally reset the future evolution of the planet's biota." - Novacek & Cleland (2001) Biodiversity may be regarded as 'the number, variety and variability of living organisms' (MacDonald, 2003: 406). Whilst global variation in biological diversity has long been a source of fascination, it has recently been the basis for increasing concern (Tilman, 2000). Awareness of the extent and rate of the current biodiversity crisis (or the 'sixth extinction', as termed by Leakey & Lewin, 1996) has led to a significant re-assessment of the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning and the scope for policy intervention to enable its preservation, exemplified by the international ratification of the Convention on Biodiversity in 1992. The identification and analysis of spatial patterns of biodiversity has been central to conservation goals of maximum preservation at the least cost (Reddy & Davalos, 2003). The hotspots approach is one of many methods for delimiting areas of
Issues in Food and Nutrition Essay
Issues in Food and Nutrition Essay "The evolution of the human diet is of great interest to anthropologists, biologists and nutritionists alike. The evidence base each discipline utilises in their research is varied, both in nature and quality. Critically discuss the evolution of the human diet and evaluate the methodologies employed by different disciplines in developing this knowledge," Every human being has a primary purpose and is always trying to fulfil their needs and wants. This has been to satisfy the structural and functional needs providing energy and nutrients so that the body has a constant balance. The human diet is based around behavioural influences by both culture (developing world) and technological (developed world) Over the years the human diet has had many influences, improvements in treatments, experiments, and inventions these have all lead us to develop a greater knowledge of the best foods, when to eat them and how much to eat of them. Cost has always played a major role in the human diet. Evolution of the diet started with the domestication of livestock this considerably changed the supply of food. The introduction of agriculture showed that there was an interrelation between food supply and cost. When stable, balanced healthy human diets were first introduced it was in conjunction with the start of food production. This chain of production lead to
