Biotechnology Labs To accompany Georgia Middle School Lessons on Biotechnology Written by: Christina M. Spears Georgia Agriculture Education Curriculum Office July 2003

DNA Codes

Before Class Create a DNA code of six codons, triplet codes (Teacher will provide this) Around the room, the correct copied DNA sequence, RNA sequence, and tRNA sequence are on tables and on the walls On the back of each piece of paper is a word to make a sentence

Students’ Task Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find the correct DNA code Using the DNA code given to you by your teacher, first copy the code and find the corresponding codons on the wall When finished submit your sentence to the teacher and he/she will tell you if it is right

RNA Code Using the same DNA code as before, transcribe the code into RNA codons Look for the answers in the classroom and submit your final sentence to the teacher

tRNA Code Using your original DNA code, make it for tRNA Your teacher can give you a helpful hint if you have problems

Gene Expression

Teacher Demonstration Need 6 small drinking glasses, 4 large jars or beakers, red food coloring, yellow food coloring, water Students: Your task is to watch your teacher Teacher: Please read the activity in the lesson plan

Red and Red What happens when the teacher pours two red solutions into the jar?

Result You get a red solution This shows that red is dominant

Red and Clear If you pour red and clear solutions together, what color do you get?

Result You still get a red solution showing that red is dominant once again!

Red and Clear Again Let’s try pouring the red and clear solutions together once again…just to make sure that it comes out correct!

How odd? This time we got a clear solution when we poured the red and clear solutions together…how did that happen?

Red and Yellow Now let’s pour red and yellow solutions together and see what color comes up?

Orange! Orange shows how the red and yellow were mixed together in this experiment to form a whole new color!!

Gene Pool in Animals

Your Animal Without looking at the beans, place your hand in the white and red bean sample bag provided by your teacher and draw out twenty beans Count the number of beans of each color and record your results as your initial genotype Place the beans in your cup. These beans represent your animal for the remainder of the experiment

“Breeding Your Animal” “Breed” your animal to the animals of the students sitting around you. Do this by pouring your beans into their cup. Shake the beans to get a good mix Pour the beans into your hand. Without looking, count out twenty beans into your classmate’s cup. Record the new genotype.

What is my animal color? If you had more red beans than white beans…your animal is red If you had more white beans than red beans…your animal is white If you had an equal number of white and red beans, then your animal is roan color, a mixture of red and white

Making a Virus

The Virus Your teacher will provide you a worksheet with four different circle on it with a DNA code on it. Each circle is labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F. One of the circles will remain in tact. Cut at locations B, C, D, and E Paste B to C, C to D, and D to E This will result in a spiral which is your virus

Cutting the Correct Code Your teacher will give you a code to cut out of your virus, ex. GCT TAC ACT Place this code on the uncut DNA circle in the appropriate sequence, ex. CGA ATG TGA

New Bacterium Place the new DNA circle, plasmid, inside a sandwich size Ziploc bag along with a piece of yarn This simulates the bacterium, tobacco mosaic virus This new bacterium will then be placed into a plant cell providing “immunity” to the tobacco mosaic virus because the new virus thinks the plant already has the virus

New Plant Once all the plant cells have been constructed, the teacher will take all of the new cells and group them together to form a plant that is now resistant to the tobacco mosaic virus

Yogurt

Materials Needed Half-pint carton of milk 500 ml beaker Powdered milk Heat source (Bunsen burner, hot plate, etc) Thermometer (0-100°C) Starter yogurt culture (any non-flavored yogurt) Incubator Refrigerator

Procedure 1) Pour the half-pint carton of milk into a beaker. 2) Add 11g of powdered milk to the beaker and stir. Heat to 96º C, stirring constantly. Do not boil! Keep the heat at low to medium. 3) Cool milk to 46º C while continuing to stir.

More Procedure 4) Add 5 ml of starter yogurt culture to the empty milk carton. Pour the cooled milk into the carton and staple shut. Label the carton with date and student name. 5) Place in an incubator at 39º C until it coagulates (6-8 hours). 6) Remove the carton from the incubator and cool to 10º C in a refrigerator.

What to do for incubator? Option 1: Buy a yogurt maker. Directions included! Option 2: Buy a heating pad and a cooler. Set the heating pad on low (=39ºC).

The final product You can add your own jam or fruit to flavor your yogurt. I suggest you also add at least one teaspoon of sugar to the yogurt! It is a little tart at first without it. (1 teaspoon sugar=8 oz yogurt) The yogurt may not taste the same as it does in the store, but nothing is perfect!