PETERBOROUGH — Students at ConVal High School took a deep dive into genetic research during a daylong in-school field trip last month.
Students in Valerie Moran’s biology Extended Learning Opportunity explored their own genetic predispositions toward identifying bitter tastes on a test strip (PTC) that’s used for genetic taste testing.
Each student tasted their own strip, and were broken into two groups – those who experienced a bitter taste, and those who experienced no taste at all.
While each student’s inherited genes play a key role in their ability to taste the strip or not, other factors contribute to just how strong the taste is for each, including the presence of a specific protein on one particular chromosome.
To determine their genotype, and as a result, better understand the level of bitterness they did or did not experience, the students extracted their own DNA, amplified a segment of the PTC-tasting gene through polymerase chain reaction – similar to the technique used to detect the presence of COVID-19 in laboratory tests – and used chain restriction enzymes to identify a possible base pair change and ultimately visualize their genotype.
In doing the extended lab, students learned to explore three molecular biology techniques: DNA extraction, PCR (amplification of their DNA), and gel electrophoresis. The lab also provided students with the opportunity to explore the connection between their genes and their expression, which is a rare opportunity.
This same approach could one day be used to prevent and treat diseases, as well as design new drugs tailored to individual genetic profiles.
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