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WHO'S THE DAD?

While taking Lab Research (Biology 295) at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, I learned to become more independent while performing non-cookbook labs. This class seemed to be similar to what I expect to see in a non-school setting. Dr. Balentine has a strong love for dogs, so he decided to put a spin on the normal cookbooks labs and had us come up with our own labs. He had DNA samples of three pups, two potential fathers, and the mother sent to our class from the kennel at White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures. Our task was to determine which dog was the potential father based on our findings from the lab.

Polymerase Chain Reaction

To better understand what took place in the lab one must first understand the basics of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). PCR is something that is widely used in fields such as microbiology. The purpose of PCR is to take a small sample of DNA and create more using various templates and primers. PCR is what allowed us to perform our experiments. We took DNA samples from the two potential fathers, the mother, and the three pups and amplified more of their DNA using PCR. The one downfall of PCR is that it does not determine which dog is the father. It merely allows you to rule out candidates. If done on more parts of the genome one might decide on one of the candidates as the father but not with 100% certainty.

Animated Explanation of PCR

Agarose Gel Electrophoresis

Having a good understanding of gel electrophoresis is also important in order to fully understand the happenings of our experiment. Agarose gel electrophoresis is used to separate DNA by the size of the molecule. This is accomplished by running an electric current, negative to positive, through the gel. The Negatively charged nucleic acid molecules run through the gel. The shorter molecules move faster, therefore moving farther down the gel then the larger molecules. Adding Ethidium Bromide to the gel allows one to capture a picture of the bands of DNA. The bands can then be analyzed.

Interactive Gel Electrophoresis

Alyssa Ellefson, Biology 295 at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls