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Research in Undergraduate Instruction: A Biotech Lab Project for Recombinant DNA Protein Expression in Bacteria
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Abstract
In the sophomore-level Molecular Biology and Biotechnology course at Beloit College, students learn basic methods in molecular biology in the context of pursuing a semester-long original research project. We are exploring how DNA sequence affects expression levels of proteins. A DNA fragment encoding all or part of the guanylate monokinase (gmk) sequence is cloned into pSP73 and expressed in E. coli. A monoclonal antibody is made to gmk. The expression level of gmk is determined by SDS gel elctrophoresis, a Western blot, and an ELISA assay. Over four years, an increase in enrollment in the course from 9 to 34 students, the 85% of majors pursuing advanced degrees, and course evaluations all support the conclusion that involving students in research during undergraduate courses encourages them to pursue careers in science.
Keywords (Audience):
Second-Year UndergraduateKeywords (Domain):
BiochemistryKeywords (Pedagogy):
Inquiry-Based / Discovery LearningKeywords (Subject):
Molecular BiologyCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).
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Sal Russo and Lisa GentileJournal of Chemical Education2006 83 (12), 1850An integrated six-week module that allows students to develop biochemistry laboratory techniques in the context of a discovery-oriented project has been developed. This module, suitable for undergraduate third- or fourth-year biochemistry lab, focuses on ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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