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Kenneth Starks, a chemistry teacher
at Washington High School, worked to allow beginning biology students
the opportunity to become more familiar with DNA morphology and
the principles of DNA. Mr. Starks produced antibodies for the num-1
gene in lobsters by designing polymerase chain reactions (PCR) which
were then ligated into commercially available vector system (pGEM)
and transferred into JM109 competent cells. The cells were harnessed
and cultured on agar, and the success of the reaction was determined
by the presence of white colonies among blue colonies of cells that
did not undergo the transformation. Mr. Stark's students will use
Drosophila melanogaster as their model as to produce the
test crosses which will demonstrate in part the principles of Mendelian
genetics. Once this part o the project is complete, the students
will remove the chromosomes from the salivary glands of the fruit
fly larva. Once the chromosomes are isolated, the students will
mount them on slides fr observation and create illustrations to
compare the major components of genetic theories from both experiences.
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