Unit Five Reflection

This unit we asked the question: What does our genetic code look like, and how does it work? All of us are made up of DNA, and the very DNA we have our great, great, great, great, grandparents had first. DNA carries the genetic code that determines how we look. How does DNA do that? First the DNA copies itself in a process called transcription. Then, it goes from two strands to one, and becomes RNA by recopying the part it lost with RNA codes. Then the finished RNA goes to the ribosome that reads the RNA and translates it into amino acid codes, or Codons. That amino acid makes up our protein, and that protein makes up our features. If a mutation, or change in the code occurs, the entire pattern can be messed up and in turn affect the end protein product.  In this unit I had trouble understanding gene regulation and even now I still have to look over my notes to check on the difference between an operator and promoter.

This unit teaches us about how our body is able to function and why we look how we look. It is important to know this because if you decided to have a child, you would want to know how it would grow and take the genes from you and turn into a individual. Or, a more serious reason, if you or your child has a mutation in your DNA code, it may have severe to no consequences. It would be really cool if you could provide a sample and scientists could track and map your exact DNA and RNA codons, and the exact order of your bases.

This is a copy right free photo of DNA replication

Protein Synthesis Lab

In this lab we asked the question "how does the body produce protein".  First we copied the DNA over, then transcripted it into RNA form with means that it loses the thymine base and gains the uracil base in return. After that the RNA was translated into the final protein. the mRNA bonds with the ribosome which reads and translates the amino acid combination. The codon, or code is what the ribosome translates, and that is what finally becomes the protein. 

http://science-explained.com/theory/dna-rna-and-protein/

Something that affect the making of protein is called mutations. Mutation alter the original DNA structure which messes up the RNA structure which messes up the ribosomes reading of the amino acids. Deletion deletes an actual part of the base, where substitution replaces a base. Insertion simply adds another base into the structure. The more the mutation alters the protein, the more fatal it is in the organism. based on my observations, frame-shift mutations are the most deadly, for they completely mess up the order of the bases. If a mutation occurs in the start of a function, it has a far worse affect than if it occurs at the end of a sequence, because it messes up the whole order of the sequence. 

http://study.com/academy/lesson/insertion-mutation-diseases-examples-quiz.html

I chose the frame-shift mutation of deletion for my own mutation because I thought it would cause the most damage. By deleting a base at the start of the sequence, other than the start codon, the amino acids were all different to the control no mutation sequence. If that was in a person, it would have a fatal mutation because the protein was totally messed up. 

http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-types-of-mutation-are-there

This relates to our lives because what if we have a mutation? What if our child has a fatal mutation, and needs surgery or something worse? Mutations are everywhere, and the more altering the mutation, the more noticeable it is. An example of an mutation is skin color, or in the example below, frog color. The mutation causes it to have green skin or white skin. The one with white has a higher chance of ddying because its color has no camoflauge. 

                           http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/Arch01/1084721406.jpg                                                                                   http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/tree%20frog.jpg

Human DNA Extraction Lab

In this lab we asked the question, "How can DNA be separated from cheek cells to order to study?". First, We used Gatorade as a polar liquid and swirled it in our mouth and mixed it with salt and dish soap. We also added pineapple juice to the solution before mixing it with alcohol for its catabolic protease effects to break down the proteins that the DNA molecules wraps itself around.We then added cold alcohol, a nonpolar substance so the DNA would fall out of the solution and precipitate, or to cause a substance to be deposited in solid form from a substance. If the steps were followed properly, then the DNA should have floated up to the top of the solution and hovered in the nonpolar alcohol solution. There are three steps for DNA extraction homogenization, lysis and precipitation.  IF the whole lab worked out and we had our DNA sample, we were given a option to use a transfer pipette to move the DNA to a small container to carry around.

Some possible errors that could have occurred while doing this lab were mixing the right amount of liquid into the solution, mishandling the solutions, and maybe even not being a human being, cause then you would not have any DNA. I know for a fact that I ruined my sample for I added the alcohol too fast and it mixed in with my DNA Gatorade juice. That totally ruined my DNA because instead of floating to the top, it was stuck in the middle bobbing up and down and totally confused. Another mistake that could have happened was there were no set amounts of Gatorade or anything to say how much we could add, it was all up to the group and person, and if we had a set control measurement, then the results of the lab may have been more similar.

We did this lab to help us understand how DNA works and how knowing how DNA unravels we can learn how it is made. We also did this lab as an alternative to learning out of a book how DNA is made. Somethings I learned from this lab that I didn't know before was what homogenization meant, and that DNA had proteins called histones. I relate this to the vodcast we did about how DNA copies itself. Since we did this lab we can maybe go further into the DNA we produce and look at maybe comparing the DNA samples of different species. Here are some pictures from our lab:

Here is a funny pun:



I guess you could say this write-up was KOALA- TEA.