Students apply this technique to the extraction of the green fluorescent protein from transformed and cloned bacteria. This lab may be taken alone or as an extension of the Bacterial Transformation lab. A mutation-based disease, sickle cell anemia, is explored from the molecular genetics of the globin protein through the clinical manifestations of the disease in the affected human. Students perform protein electrophoresis on hemoglobin samples to help them understand the principles underlying current diagnostic techniques. Careful examination of the DNA and amino acid sequences of globin variants enables students to comprehend the structure-function relationship of proteins and the profound effects of a single point mutation in the genetic code.
Discussion includes the concepts of heterozygote advantage and genetic equilibrium.
The Aerobic Machine Students serve as their own subjects in an experiment investigating the biological principle of homeostasis . As some students perform mild to moderate levels of exercise, others monitor changes in subjects' heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and glucose levels. Discussion emphasizes the underlying causes of the observed changes and the body's mechanisms for coping with physical stresses. This laboratory teaches pharmacology basics, as well as some of the mechanisms underlying the actions of several common analgesics. Students then identify the contents of an unknown sample collected in the investigation of a hypothetical accidental drug overdose by applying the results of their initial exploration.