Transcript DNA Extraction Lab - Oklahoma City Community College

DNA Extraction Lab
• DNA is found in every cell in organisms
• To analyze DNA scientists must break open
the cells
• In this activity you will release DNA from
wheat germ in order to observe its
properties first hand
Materials
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Raw wheat germ (hasn’t been toasted yet!)
Small cup (plastic preferred, paper okay)
Table salt (non-iodized)
Warm to hot water
Dishwashing soap
Meat tenderizer (papain)
Plastic pipette (dropper)
Ethanol (cold)
Procedure
• 1) place the wheat germ in your cup
• 2) fill your cup up about 1/3 way with the
warmish hot water
• 3) Next pour in both the salt & soap & meat
tenderizer (papain)
• 4) Use your plastic pipette to stir the
mixture. Stir slowly (to avoid bubbling)for
5 minutes
Procedure…cont.
• 5) Quit stirring & let mixture settle for
about 2 minutes
• 6) Using your plastic pipette withdraw a
whole dropper full of the clearer liquid in
the top of the cup
• 7) Slowly add this dropper of liquid to the
test tube of cold ethanol. You should begin
to see DNA in the next few minutes
• 8) Try “spooling” the DNA by slowly
twirling the pipette inside the test tube
Questions
1. Why did we use raw wheat germ instead of
toasted?
2.What is the purpose of the soap & salt?
3. Would we have the same results if we used
water instead of ethanol? Why or why not.
4. What exactly is DNA & why is it
important?
5.DNA has been in the news a lot. Can you
remember anything you might have heard
or read about it? Let’s discuss them.