08/08/2002
We do not have time in class to cover DNA chemistry to any depth. We will work with DNA in lab, and will cover basic aspects of DNA structure during the lab. In lab, you will take a human gene, transform bacteria with it, and induce the cells to produce the human protein. You will be responsible for covering the material in this study guide and/or reading the relevant sections of a textbook on your own. From these materials, you should be able to deduce a protein sequence from the corresponding DNA sequence. In addition, you need to understand the techniques that have been developed in the last 20 years to manipulate nucleic acids. Using these techniques, we have learned to read, write, copy, edit, search and compare the language that is DNA. Finally, you will have a problem set on nucleic acids to submit.
For those of you with little background in Biology, here are two web sites I've created for my Senior Seminar class, Biomedical Ethics in the 21st Century. Some of the material is taken from the above guides.
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