gell electrophoresis virtual lab

Gel Electrophoresis Virtual Lab Worksheet Name_jake beine_

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/gel/

Make a prediction:

1. How do you think you could figure out the lengths of the strands in the tube of DNA? We could put the DNA strands in the gel and see how far they stretch.

Go through the simulation:

2. What is the process called in which we measure the DNA microscopically?   Gel electrophoresis

3. What is the “gel”?   The filter that sorts the DNA strands.

4. Write down the step of gel electrophoreses
1. make the gel

2.  put it in the other box with water

3. add an electric current to the gel

4. take out the gel and stain it, then put it onto the UV light to see how the DNA has moved.

5. What does the current do the DNA samples? the electric current carries the DNA away from the negative charge and through the gel.

6. What kinds of strand move quickly and further down the gel? the standard sized DNA strands moved the furthest down the gel.

7. What kinds of strand move slower and lag behind? The sample DNA strand moved slower and lacked behind the other strands.

8. What about the strand that are the same length? they both moved the same distance from the wells that they were placed in.

9. What helps us see the DNA strand in the gel? Staining the gel helps bring out the colors of the DNA and allows us to get accurate results.

10. What are the ingredients to make a gel? Tris-Acetate-EDTA (TAE) ,agarose, ethidium bromide and the seaweed gel.

11. After you load the DNA sample into the tray, what is the next step? connect all of the electrical cables and create a current of both positive and negative charges.

12. How do you know current is running through the gel? there will be bubbles coming up through the liquid.

13. After the gel is done, what must you do to it before you can analyze your results? you must put the gell in a liquid that will stain it and allow the DNA to be visible.

14. How long does this process take? around 30 min of waiting time.

15. What type of light do you use to view the gel? Is it safe and what precautions would you might need to use? You use UV light to see the DNA. UV is unsafe for long periods of time, so cover your skin and eyes.

16. Write your size estimates below:

1. Strand 1_____medium___________

2. Strand 2 _____small______________

3. Strand 3 _____large______________

17. Could you list one reason why we would run a Gel electrophoresis on someone and explain your answer. We could use gel electrophoresis on people to determine if their related, by seeing if their DNA is similar.

Relate and Review

Electrophoresis is the separation of DNA, RNA and proteins from a strand. We use this to determine how big or small the DNA strands are, or to compare and contrast certain sets of DNA. I better understand how DNA can be moved throughout using electrical currents. In this experiment the DNA strands moved away from the negative charge and showed up throughout the gel. This information could come in handy later on while doing other experiments along the line of DNA and RNA strands or movement.