Secrets of the Rainforest
The Mysterious Green Florescent Leaves
While Hiking through the Andean Rain Forest, You and a friend, Tisha, obtain medicinal green leaves from Ramon
You bring back to Biotex, a biotech company working on a cure for cancer
Hi, I am Tish
a
Green Florescent Protein
Biotex scientists determine that the leaves contain a florescent green protein
DNA from the leaves is inserted into bacterial cells
Cloning the Gene from Mysterious Leaves
More on Cloning the Gene…
Purifying the GFP
Biotex technicians need to separate the GFP from other bacterial proteins
Column Chromatography separates contaminating proteins from GFP
The result is a purified GFP that can be tested for its ability to cure stomach cancer
Testing and Placebos
GFP will need to be tested on rats before it is allowed for a human trial
The US Food and Drug Administration will examine Biotex’s experiments to determine if the protein is safe and cures stomach cancer without negative side effects
Ethics and Economics
Once GFP is approved by the FDA, you will develop GFP as a commercial product
You will need to be aware of the following viewpoints: FDA, social conscience, patient advocacy groups, and the employees of Biotex
You must resolve the dilemmas in order to successfully market GFP
Final Presentations
Turn in all lab work with analysis questions
Video Presentation of your marketing of GFP Address issues of all
dilemmas 1-8
Background Information- Lesson 1
How to use Pipettes
Streaking of agar plates to Produce Single Colonies (Sterile Technique)
Background Continued…Lessons 2 & 3
Process of Transformation (GMOs or genetic recombinants)
Jellyfish , GFP and pGLO and Fluorescence
Isolating Clones to Propagate in Liquid Culture Media
Background Continued…Lesson 4
Concentration of Bacteria from Liquid Culture Media
Background Continued…Lesson 5
Prepare a Bacterial Lysate for Protein Chromatography
Background Continued…Lesson 6
Protein Chromatography-Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC)
GFP is hydrophobic and will stick to hydrophobic beads in salt water buffer
When salt is removed, GFP will then be collected
4 buffers: 1) Equilibration
buffer (salt buffer) 2) Binding Buffer
(high salt) Wash buffer (medium
salt) Elution buffer (low
salt)
Background Continued…Lessons 7-10
Lesson 7- testing and placebos Lesson 8- Advocacy Groups and
Viewpoints Lesson 9-Ethics and Economics Lesson 10- Preparing and Giving
Presentations