ALU LAB

Question 1

DNA Locations:
____ DNA is in the nucleus.
____ DNA is in mitochondria​.

Answer 1

Linear DNA is in the nucleus.
Circular DNA is in mitochondria​.

Question 2

PCR:
Stands for _____.
Requires _____ DNA, even as _____ as a ____ molecule​.
Used in ________

Answer 2

Stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Requires minimal DNA, even as low as a single molecule​.

Used in genetic research, diagnostics, evolutionary studies, forensics, mutation detection, and more​.

Question 3

What does Instagene and Heating do

Answer 3

Instagene: Chelex resin beads to remove contaminants.

Heating at 56°C loosens tissues, while 100°C denatures proteins to release DNA​.

Question 4

PCR Ingredients: (6 total)

Answer 4

DNA template, primers, dNTPs, Taq polymerase, buffer, and magnesium ions​.

Question 5

Cycling Temperatures, their names and what happens:

Answer 5

Denaturation: 94-96°C (separates DNA strands).
Annealing: 50-65°C (primers bind).
Extension: 72°C (Taq synthesizes DNA)​.

Question 6

Comparing PCR and Cellular DNA Replication:

Answer 6

PCR uses synthetic primers and heating/cooling cycles

biological replication uses RNA primers and enzymes like helicase​.

Question 7

Alu is found on chromosome ____

Answer 7

16

Question 8

Insert ____ PCR product length from ____bp to ____bp

Answer 8

Insert increases PCR product length from 641 bp to 941 bp​.

Question 9

Purpose of Agarose Gel Staining/Destaining:

Answer 9

Staining visualizes DNA.

Destaining enhances visibility by reducing background stains; uses warm water, Kimwipes, and shaking for uniformity​.

Question 10

Gel Results and at what bp:
+/+
+/-
-/-

Answer 10

+/+ (homozygous insert): Band at 941 bp.
+/- (heterozygous): Bands at 941 bp and 641 bp.
-/- (homozygous no insert): Band at 641 bp​.

Question 11

how does RNA Transcript to Mature mRNA

Answer 11

spliceosome removes introns and joins exons.

Alternative splicing allows one gene to produce diverse proteins​.

Question 12

Strawberry vs. Alu DNA Isolation:

Answer 12

Strawberry DNA isolation relies on physical disruption (mashing) and chemical lysis (soap/salt)

Alu lab isolation uses heating to lyse cells and chelex beads to purify DNA​​.

Question 13

DNA Replication in Body vs. PCR:

Answer 13

In the body:
Helicase unwinds DNA.
RNA primers initiate replication.
DNA polymerase synthesizes new strands.

In PCR:
Heat replaces helicase to denature DNA.
Synthetic primers are used.
Taq polymerase, heat-stable, performs replication​.

Question 14

Reading Agarose Gels:

Answer 14

DNA bands represent different sizes of DNA fragments.

Ladder/molecular marker is used for comparison.

The brightness and position of bands correlate with fragment size and quantity​

Question 15

in vivo=
in vitro=

Answer 15

in vivo= research inside living organism”
in vitro= research in controlled lab settings