Simple Protocol for Secondary School Hands-On Activity: Electrophoresis of Pre-Stained Nucleic Acids on Agar-Agar Borate Gels

An extremely simple, inexpensive, and safe method is presented, which emulates nucleic acids isolation and electrophoretic analysis as performed in a research environment, in the context of a secondary school hands-on activity. The protocol is amenable to an interdisciplinary approach, taking into c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Britos, Leticia (author)
Other Authors: Goyenola, Guillermo (author), Umpiérrez Oroño, Silvia (author)
Format: article
Language:English
Published: 2004
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Online Access:http://repositorio.cfe.edu.uy/handle/123456789/1235
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Summary:An extremely simple, inexpensive, and safe method is presented, which emulates nucleic acids isolation and electrophoretic analysis as performed in a research environment, in the context of a secondary school hands-on activity. The protocol is amenable to an interdisciplinary approach, taking into consideration the electrical and chemical parameters of the electrophoretic system. Furthermore, the laboratory is framed in a more comprehensive pedagogical setting, which addresses the methodological aspects of a pivotal scientific enterprise such as the Human Genome Project. In this setting, the hands-on activity is complemented with animations, paper models, and discussions. Additionally, our results indicate that the use of borate buffer and agar-agar gels suits many of the experiments included in college-level laboratory activities, which currently make use of more expensive agarose gels and TBE or TAE buffers