Epigenome

IDENTICAL TWINS: PINPOINTING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE EPIGENOME:

Twins develop differently because of their environment. Such as stress, the more amount or less amount of stress is put on you determines the changes to your genome by using epigenetic tags,which turn genes on or off. Another environmental factor is toxins. If you are a twin and you smoke but your twin doesn't then that will also leave your genome different. Another factor that changes your genome is your athleticism, meaning the more or less active you are. Like choosing TV over going out for a jog, or vice-versa. Others are-toxins, such as smoking, and diet. At birth twins have the same genome, but the do changes as time goes on.

LICK YOUR RATS:

This part was about the amount of nurture a rat mother gave her pups. If she licked her pups continually then they grew up to be calm, but if she did not lick her pups then they will grow up to be anxious. This happens because the licking turns not the GR gene, this creates GR protein, which relaxes the pup.

NUTRITION & THE EPIGENOME:

Methyl groups are a type of epigenetic tag that silences a one or more genes. If a diet is high in methyl-doanting nutrients then the gene expression can be rapidly altered. This can happen at any age but specifically during the earlier stages of life when your epigenome is being developed. Depending on what a mother rat ate her offspring looked different. If she had a diet of highly methylated food then the rat would have brown fur but if the mother's diet wasn't methylates then the pup would be born with yellow fur and keep yellow fur for the rest of its life. The gene called agouti that determines it. When a pregnant yellow rat was fed BPA it continued to have unhealthy yellow rats but when the yellow,BPA exposed mother was fed a highly methylated diet is had brown mice. A study showed that the food amount that a grand father had affected the life-span of his grandchildren. Less food equaled longer life, and more food equaled shorter life.

EPIGENETICS & THE HUMAN BRAIN:

Genetic abuse leaves an epigenetic mark on the brain. The protein CBP is what activates the learning and memory genes.In schizophrenic brains REELIN has less methyl. Some of the drugs used to treat the mentally ill do their job by changing gene expressions. Some drugs make epigenetic changes that could effect hundreds of genes, some of these epigenetic changes stay even when the drug has been cleared from the body.

DNA fingerprint lab

Introduction:

1. DNA is unique for everyone. The only exception is if a person has what?
The only exception is if you have an identical twin.

2. What are DNA fingerprints used for?
DNA fingerprints are can be used for a variety of things, from determining a biological mother of father to identifying a suspect in a crime.

Part 1 “It Takes a Lickin”

3. What “crime” was committed?
Jimmy found that his most prized possession, a holographic NOVA lollipop, had been disturbed. The air tight package had been broken, and the holograph and been licked off.

4. What bodily fluid was removed from the “crime scene” to get DNA?
Saliva was taken from the "crime scene."

Part 2 “DNA Fingerprinting at the NOVA Lab”

5. What does a restriction enzyme do?
They cut along DNA molecules in different locations. Where they cut depends on the code in the DNA molecule and the code in the enzyme's molecule.

6. What is agarose gel?
It allows small pieces of DNA to move easier than large ones.

7. What is electrophoresis?
Electrophoresis separates DNA by length. It does this by moving the DNA pieces toward the positive end of the tray but the agarose gel strains the DNA only allowing small pieces of DNA get to the end.

8. Smaller fragments of DNA move easier than longer strands?


9. Why do you need to place a nylon membrane over the gel?
The agarose gel is hard to work with so that when the nylon membrane is placed on it the DNA is transferred to the nylon.

10. Probes attach themselves to the DNA code that they match.


11. Which chemical in your “virtual lab” is radioactive?
The probes are radioactive and that is how they got there look.

12. Sketch your DNA fingerprint.
This is the DNA fingerprint.

13. Based on your DNA fingerprint, who licked the lollipop?
Honey licked the lollipop.

Click on the Link “DNA Workshop” (if this link won't load, scroll down to the bottom where it says "try the non-java script version)
Once you’re there, go to the link “DNA Workshop Activity” and practice with DNA replication and protein synthesis.

Browse the DNA Workshop site.


14. What kinds of things could you do at the DNA workshop?

You can learn about DNA replication and protein synthesis. There is an activity for both of these things and you can also do the text book version of these activities.

Find an Article about DNA

Go to http://www.thegenesite.com/

15. Read an article about genetics at this site that you might find interesting, or use the "Search" box in the upper right hand corner to search for DNA fingerprinting.

Title of Article ____________________________ Author and Date ______________________________________

Summarize what the article was about. Write this in a paragraph format.

Mitosis Virtual Lab

On the left side of the screen is a navigation bar, click on the link to “MITOSIS”

Read the text on this page and view the animation, you can slow down the video by clicking step by step through the phases.


1. Which stage does the following occur

Chromatin condenses into chromosomes	Prophase
Chromosomes align in center of cell.	Metaphase
Longest part of the cell cycle.	Interphase
Nuclear envelope breaks down.	Prometaphase
Cell is cleaved into two new daughter cells.	Cytokinesis
Daughter chromosomes arrive at the poles.	Telophase

Watch the video carefully.

2. The colored chromosomes represent chromatids. There are two of each color because one is an exact duplicate of the other.

--How many chromosomes are visible at the beginning of mitosis? 8
-- How many are in each daughter cell at the end of mitosis? 4

--The little green T shaped things on the cell are: Microtubules

-- What happens to the centrioles during mitosis? They divide.

3 . Identify the stages of these cells:

Metaphase Telophase Interphase

Another Mitosis Animation

Go to www.johnkyrk.com/mitosis.html

View the animation and sketch the cell in:

Prophase During prophase the nuclear dissolves and the microtubules start to move.

Metaphase During metaphase spindle fibers attach to the chromosomes.

Telophase During telophase the daughter chromosomes are pulled to the poles of the cell.

Onion Root Tip - Online Activity

http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/activities/cell_cycle/cell_cycle.html

Read the introduction, then click the “next” button.

You will have 36 cells to classify. When you’re finished, record your data in the chart below.

	Interphase	Prophase	Metaphase	Anaphase	Telophase	Total
Number of cells	20	10	3	2	1	36
Percent of cells (calculate: number of cells divided by total cells x 100 )	67%	34&	10%	6%	1%	100 %

Did you forget a calculator -- no problem. Go to www.calculator.com and click on the “fractions” calculator. A window with a virtual calculator will open and you can do the math from there.

Mitosis in Whitefish & Onion Roots

http://www.biologycorner.com/flash/mitosis.html

For each organism, identify the stage of mitosis.

	View 1	View 2	View 3	View 4	View 5
Whitefish	Cytokinesis	Metaphase	Interphase	Telophase	No Picture
Onion	Prophase	Metaphase	Interphase	Cytokinesis	Telophase