1. Primary Research Paper: Cell & Molecular Biology
What is Zwilch?

2. Questions for Research Article
What is the significance of the research conducted?
What were the questions asked, hypotheses proposed, or goal of the research?
Analyze two figures:
Describe the basic design of the experiment (e.g. variables, controls, etc.)
Explain the trends or other descriptive data presented?
Your instructor may also want statistical analysis

3. Sections of an Article Title Abstract Intro
Fig … fig legends… results… methods
Discussion
References
See Elements of Scientific Writing, electronic handout on website, for more details
Some content found in numerous sections. Isn’t that redundant? Are scientists just poor writers?

4. Title Tells what was accomplished in the paper
Rephrase the title in your own words

5. Abstract In groups, identify these first four items System
Molecules pertinent to the study
Terms
Techniques
Hypothesis or Goal
In groups, identify these first four items

6. Hypothesis
State the hypothesis as an “if this… then” statement

7. Hypothesis
Goal: to identify other components (than ZW10/ROD) of the complex necessary for accurate chromosome segregation -or- If Zwilch is an important component of the chromosome segregation complex…

8. Then…
Immunoaffinity chromatography will confirm Zwilch part of complex
Mass spectroscopy will confirm Zwilch part of complex
Localize to kinetochore & kinetochore microtubules same as ZW10/ROD
Mutation result in same mitotic phenotypes as zw10/rod
Evolutionarily conserved (drosophila & human same co- precipitate w/ ZW10/ROD and localized to kinetochores at prometaphase)

9. New questions:
weak interaction w/ kinesin-like kinetochore component CENP-meta

10. Introduction
Significance…Why was this research important to do and to fund?!
Is the significance anywhere else in the paper?

11. Significance
This study is significant because … State one reason the research is significant
Would it be correct to say…?
The significance was to show/demonstrate…

12. Significance: General/Broad
cell division is critical to many essential processes of multicellular organisms:
growth & development, reproduction
important to have a basic understanding of the process and of the regulation to ensure accuracy:
deformity, cancer
new information may contribute to a better understanding of human health and disease

13. Significance: Specific to this paper
this study can contribute to our understanding of molecular interactions essential for accurate cell division by identifying and describing novel components of the kinetochore apparatus
Be sure that your description of the significance includes both broad and specific implications of the work

14. Figure Legends Type of info Type of assay or experiment
Results or conclusion
Look at each figure legend title. What does it tell us?

15. Figure & Panels Are organized around a single hypothesis or goal
A set of experiments that expand upon or point to a single topic
What is the goal of Figure1? Of Figure 9?

16. Figures
…can show us trends and relationships.

17. Trends or Relationship
Data:
photos of protein gels
sequence alignment diagram
pictures of cells
The relationships illustrated were:
interaction w/ ZW10/ROD
colocalization
correlation of their activities
Supporting evidence:
Evolutionary relationship, based on sequence and similarity of localization & function in human cells

18. Design of the experiment
First explain…
See Fig 1 & 3: What kind of data are you looking at?
Fig 1: Gel of proteins from column: before, after binding, after elution
Fig 3: Cytological smears of chromosomes during division
Basic Design
Control(s)
Variables/Treatments
Trends, Relationships, Outcomes

19. Describe the design… (Figure 1)
Variable: binding or not to the column
Negative Control:
total protein present before column binding
Results:
Nonspecific binding (Negative control for binding): dynein
Specific binding (positive control for binding): ZW10, ROD
Zwilch bound similarly to ZW10 & ROD

20. Describe the design… (Figure 3)
Variable: mutation
Control:
Wild type: wt (A, E)
Treatments:
Mutant Zwilch (B, C, D, F, G, H)
Methods:
Aceto-orcein stains chromatin red
Colchicine used to stop cells in metaphase (top row)
Cells stopped in anaphase (bottom row)
Mutation of Zwilch negatively affected cell division

21. Describe the design… (Figure 5A)
Does this panel have a hypothesis?

22. Other elements
Funding
References