A Project-Oriented Molecular Biology/Genetics Laboratory Incorporating New Technologies

爱荷华州州立大学的生物科学本科教育正在经历一场戏剧性的变革。 从1993- 1994学年开始，正在实施一项新的生物学核心课程，包括为爱荷华州所有生命科学专业提供两年的综合教学。生物学核心的第二年的一个关键组成部分将是遗传学和分子生物学实验室课程，这将提供一个重要的机会，捕捉本科生的兴趣，在他们的本科生涯和以后的研究机会。 我们为这个实验室设计了一系列具有挑战性的，以项目为导向的练习，包括突变体表征的遗传方法和分子生物学中最先进的方法。该项目从分离嘧啶代谢受干扰的酵母突变体开始，重点是鉴定尿嘧啶生物合成基因URA 3的突变体。学生将通过互补分析表征URA 3突变体，并使用分子方法克隆野生型URA 3基因。首先将进行计算机练习，以使学生熟悉实验室中进行的分子操作。然后，学生将继续通过聚合酶链反应从基因组DNA中扩增URA 3基因的野生型拷贝，将该基因克隆到质粒载体中，该质粒载体可以在大肠杆菌中发挥作用。大肠杆菌和酵母，并通过琼脂糖凝胶电泳和Southern杂交分析表征推定的重组子。在最后的练习中，学生将通过用克隆的野生型URA 3基因转化它们来补充URA 3突变体。 所要求的设备用于培养和转化酵母以及DNA扩增、纯化和分析。 爱荷华州州立大学将为基金会的资金提供同等的资金。

Undergraduate education in the biological sciences at Iowa State University is undergoing a dramatic change. Beginning in the 1993-94 academic year, a new core curriculum in biology is being implemented, consisting of two years of integrated instruction for all life sciences majors at Iowa State. A key component of the second year of the biology core will be a genetics and molecular biology laboratory course, which will provide an important opportunity to capture the interest of undergraduates for research opportunities both during their undergraduate careers and beyond. We have designed for this laboratory, a series of challenging, project-oriented exercises that encompass both genetic approaches to mutant characterization and the most advanced methods in molecular biology. The project begins with the isolation of yeast mutants perturbed in pyrimidine metabolism, focusing on the identification of mutants in the uracil biosynthetic gene, URA3. Students will characterize URA3 mutants by complementation analyses, and use molecular methods to clone a wild-type URA3 gene. A computer exercise will initially be conducted to familiarize students with the molecular manipulations carried out in the laboratory. Students will then proceed to amplify a wild-type copy of the URA3 gene from genomic DNA by the polymerase chain reaction, to clone this gene in a plasmid vector that can function both in E. coli and yeast, and to characterize putative recombinants by agarose gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization analysis. In the final exercise, students will complement their URA3 mutants by transforming them with the cloned, wild-type URA3 gene. The equipment requested provides for growing and transforming yeast, as well as DNA amplification, purification and analysis. Iowa State University will provide an equal match for the funding from the foundation.