Description
With the PV92 PCR Informatics Kit, your students use real-world forensic techniques to extract DNA from their hair follicles or cheek cells, and then use PCR amplification and electrophoresis to fingerprint their own DNA at a specific genetic locus. Using their own results, students test the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium theory within their classroom population, then go online to compare their classroom results to genetic data of populations worldwide.
Features and Benefits
• Aligns with AP Biology Lab 8
• Introduces PCR and applies it to population genetics
With this kit, students are able to:
• Directly measure human diversity at the molecular level
• Extract and amplify genomic DNA from their own samples
• Compare results to online data
Background Information
In this activity, students hunt for a specific Alu repeat (a 300 base pair repetitive sequence of DNA) within a specific region called PV92 on chromosome 16. Over evolutionary time, up to 1 million copies of the Alu repeat have become randomly inserted throughout the human genome. Some of us carry an Alu insertion and some of us do not. Such variations among individuals' genotypes are inherited — and are the raw material of genetic diversity and evolution. These subtle variations in our DNA are evidence of our ancestry, and form the basis of personal identification via DNA fingerprinting.
More Information
• Three-session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation
