MODELLING MOLECULAR BIOLOGY and GENETIC ENGINEERING

Carl W. Vermeulen, PhD

VAST - 20 October 2001

1. SCIENCE versus TECHNOLOGY
    
   1. Misunderstandings
       
      1. A Problem Illuninated by on-the-street Surveys
          
          
      2. A Problem Illuminated by the College Board
          
          
   2. Understanding DNA Structure and Restriction Enzymes
       
      • "v-DNA" This is a good model for several reasons:

        1. it has two covalently non-identical complementary parts that have "hydrogen bonds" that hold the two pieces together and are easily broken and reformed.

        2. Circular "plasmids" can be formed if "sticky ends" are incorporated into the structure you make.

        3. "Restriction sites" are easily demonstrated.

        4. Genetic "palindromes" can be discussed

        5. (Humorously) If you wear a fuzzy sweater, you yourself will make a wonderful demonstration of how single-stranded DNA tightly adsorbs to substrate, such as nitrocellulose binding in the diagnostic blots of various compass directions, and in the mini-DNA chips used in the biotech industry.

        Remember that a good model should make all the difficult points conspicuously obvious so that the students don't understand why this is generally thought to be so difficult. Hopefully, this is true here!
         

2. PATERNITY TESTING and ELECTROPHORESIS (hands on)
    
    
    
3. MURDER AND ARCHEOLOGICAL MYSTERIES (a quiz)
    
    
    
4. Now you are ready for LABORATORY WORK