Monstrous Mutations Genetics Lab Activity

Types of mUtations Review Substitution A substitution is a mutation that exchanges one base for another (i.e., a change in a single “chemical letter” such as switching an A to a G). Such a substitution could: Change a codon to one that encodes a different amino acid and cause a small change in the protein produced. For example, sickle cell anemia is caused by a substitution in the beta-hemoglobin gene, which alters a single amino acid in the protein produced. Change a codon to one that encodes the same amino acid and causes no change in the protein produced. These are called silent mutations. Change an amino-acid-coding codon to a single “stop” codon and cause an incomplete protein. This can have serious effects since the incomplete protein probably won’t function.

Types of Mutations Review Insertion Insertions are mutations in which extra base pairs are inserted into a new place in the DNA. Deletion Deletions are mutations in which a section of DNA is lost, or deleted. Frame shift Since protein-coding DNA is divided into codons three bases long, insertions and deletions can alter a gene so that its message is no longer correctly parsed. These changes are called frame shifts. For example, consider the sentence, “The fat cat sat.” Each word represents a codon. If we delete the first letter and parse the sentence in the same way, it doesn’t make sense. In frame shifts, a similar error occurs at the DNA level, causing the codons to be parsed incorrectly. This usually generates proteins that are as useless as “hef atc ats at” is uninformative

How to become a Monster!!! You are a group of Skittle loving monsters! Unfortunately, there has been some toxic waste dumped in your water source that has caused a lot of strange mutations within your population! You will work in groups of 3. Each “monster” in your group will share your genetic mutation. One person from your group will draw a letter to determine what mutation your group will have. This letter will also tell you where your “home station” is. This is where your storage cup will be placed. Two people in your group will have the mutation, the third will be responsible for prepping the monsters and guiding them if they get is a particularly sticky situation!!!

mutations Letter Drawn Characteristic Produced by Mutation A Lab station 1 Long fingernails (produced by plastic spoons taped to fingers with tape) B Lab station 2 No fingers (produced by taping each hand closed) C Lab Station 3 Lack of peripheral vision (produced by putting on goggles taped on the sides to prevent viewing from the side) D Lab Station 4 Hands fused together in front of body (produced by placing hands together in front of body and taping them together) E Lab Station 5 Super speed (this group will get a minute head start and does not have to wait 2 minutes at their home station after they have stored their food) F Lab Station 6 No arms (produced by taping the arms down to the side of the body with tape) G Lab Station 7 Arms fused together behind the back at the wrists (produced by placing arms behind the back and taping tightly at the wrists) H Fume Hood by the Door Sticky Hand (One hand has tape wrapped around it sticky side up) I Fume Hood by the Shower No mutation (Control Group) mutations

Instructions: Prep 2 monsters according to the mutation instructions. You will start at your designated home station. I will start the timer. There will be two places to get food, my front lab desk and my filing cabinets. You will need to go to ONE location to retrieve 10 skittles and take them to your designated storage area. Once you have dropped off your food at your designated location, return to your home station and wait 2 minutes (your extra person will be responsible for keeping track of the time). After 2 minutes have passed, retrieve your food and bring it back to you home station. You will then need to consume all 10 of your skittles (5 per monster). Once you have consumed your skittles, tell me and I will record your time on the board.

Conclusion Questions Answer the following questions in your lab notebook, ask for a stamp when you are done: How did your mutation effect your ability to collect food? Looking at your classmates times, were there any mutations that seemed to be advantageous to those monsters? Does a mutation have to act on the genotype of phenotype of an organism in order to effect the abilities of that organism? Explain how these mutations could effect the population of monsters as a whole if they are passed down over multiple generations.