DNA Fingerprinting Exercise for the Biology Freshman Laboratory Program

密西西比大学生物系新生实验室项目（FLP）包括单独的实验室序列，适用于一年级生物学主任（每年超过500名学生）和非科学专业的学生，他们必须满足科学核心课程要求（每年约1400名学生）。大约70%的大学非理科毕业生在生物学FLP中完成了他们的基础科学要求。FLP面临着双重挑战，一方面要为理科专业的学生准备生物学的高级工作，另一方面要为非理科专业的学生提供相关性的基础和适当的智力工具，以解释影响社会问题和日常生活的科学信息。没有什么比学生对遗传变异的分子基础的理解更尖锐的挑战和迎接挑战的努力的结果更重要了。DNA指纹和其他DNA分析技术在生物学的许多分支领域中经常使用。分子遗传学对人类健康的重要性以及DNA分析在法医学中的应用得到了大多数学生的广泛认可。然而，由于资源限制，FLP中DNA结构和功能的覆盖范围仅限于演示和计算机模拟。在这次保护中，我们将在所有新生实验室实施DNA指纹识别练习。这项工作将涉及使用基于聚合酶链反应的技术对三种淡水鱼进行遗传分析（两种同系鱼和一种来自密切相关的属）。为练习而购买的仪器将由学生在PI和经过教师培训的研究生助教的监督下使用。我们希望该计划能够(1)提高学生对DNA结构和功能的理解(2)提供当代遗传分析重要工具的工作知识(3)提供对分子遗传信息的局限性和潜在用途的理解。

The University of Mississippi, Department of Biology Freshman Laboratory Program (FLP) includes separate laboratory sequences for first year biology mayors (over 500 students per year) and students not majoring in a science who must meet core curriculum requirements in science (approximately 1400 students per year). Approximately 70% of non-science graduates from the University fulfill their basic science requirement in the biology FLP. The FLP is faced with the dual challenge of preparing science majors for upper level work in biology while providing nonscience majors a basis of relevance and the appropriate intellectual tools for the interpretation of scientific information as it affects social issues and everyday life. Nowhere is this challenge more acute and the outcome of efforts to meet the challenge more important than with respect to student understanding of the molecular basis of genetic variation. DNA fingerprinting and other techniques of DNA analysis are routinely used in many subfields of biology. The importance of molecular genetics to human health and the application of DNA analysis in forensics is widely appreciated by most students. However, because of resource limitations, the coverage of DNA structure and function in the FLP is restricted to demonstrations and computer simulations. In this protect, we will implement DNA fingerprinting exercises into all freshman laboratories. The exercise will involve the genetic analysis of three freshwater fish species (two congeners and one from a closely related genus) using a PCR-based technique. The instruments to be purchased for the exercises will be used by students under supervision of the PI's and Graduate Teaching Assistants trained by faculty. We expect the program to (1) enhance student's understanding of the structure and function of DNA (2) provide a working knowledge of the important tools of contemporary genetic analysis, and (3) provide an understanding of the limitations and potential uses of molecular genetic informatio n.