1st Summary- Transitional Medicine and metabolism February 27, 2015 In the first day of the UNC workshop on February 13, the objective was DNA extraction from a

strawberry. This consisted in isolating the DNA from strawberries by a simple process. We added

dishwasher soap to the strawberries to break the cell walls and reach the nucleus of the chromosome

where the genetic coding is found. Then salt was added to continue to separate the cell wall components

and separate the strands. Sodium (Na+) is effective because the DNA is negatively charged due to its

phosphate (PO43-) component. Thus forming an ionic compound sodium phosphate that will precipitate

and become visible at the bottom of the sample for easy extraction of the genome. We were also able to

identify and gain knowledge on some genetic characteristics and their types, such as dominant and

recessive characteristics. The dominant characteristics in phenotype (physically) are those that only need

an allele from the chromosome in order to express themselves or be seen in the organism. While the

recessive traits are those that need to be expressed in the genotype (genes) two times in order for it to

be expressed physically. These processes may seem simple, but are very important in the scientific word

in various areas like forensics and crime investigation and further studies in the human and animal

genome.

In the second day on February 14, we had to do gene amplification, separation and detection. By

using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we were able to successfully amplify the DNA from a particular

fragment that exemplifies the whole coding. This is very useful because its amplification will result in an

easier identification of any bacteria, virus or protein. We then carried out electrophoresis a technique to

separate DNA fragments or proteins based on size, shape and charge. We applied a loading dye for the

DNA to descend to the bottom of the gel. The agarose gel is meant to separate DNA using ethidium

bromide for visualization by intercalating in the DNA strands and once the charges are in place the DNA

will move becoming easy to identify. On February 14, we discussed what protein synthesis, function and

detection are. Proteins play a part in regulating the processes within the cells. By using PCR, the

proteins of larger mass were identified. Once you had an specific weight, the larger a protein was the

slower it moved. Once these steps were completed, we could insert a specific antibiotic to identify the

studied cell.

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