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Flowing Wells Biology classes conducted DNA fingerprinting.

Students poured the heated agarose into the gel casting tray. The agarose in its liquid form stays in the tray because of the black stoppers at each end of the tray. Once the agarose has solidified the stoppers and comb can be removed.	Using fixed pipettors, the students pipet the DNA samples into the wells. The wells are easier to see without the presence of buffer, therefore the students load the gels "dry" and add buffer after loading the gels.
Buffer is added after DNA has been loaded to the gels. Buffer is poured into the side furthest from the wells and allowed to gently flow over the gel.	Notice the nice technique, buffer is poured into side away from the DNA samples. Though the buffer will eventually completely cover the gel.
Very nice technique, way to go! Now run that gel!	After the gels have run the gels are placed in Methylene Blue stain, this will stain the DNA fragments blue.
Now the fun begins, whose DNA was at the crime scene....	Is DNA evidence enough to convict someone of a crime? You be the judge....

This lab and others are available online. Contact the BIOTECH Project to check out the materials or to have the Biotechnology Mobile Laboratory visit your classroom.

BIOTECH Project Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology The University of Arizona August 15, 2000 Nadja Anderson, Ph.D. http://biotech.biology.arizona.edu