Day 13

Today’s photos are from work:

This shot was taken through the hole in my test tube rack. I prepared a series of 24 sequencing reactions today (to determine whether or not I had successfully isolated the DNA that encodes my favorite protein, human mitogen activated protein kinase 1).

I also ran a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to isolate some new MKP-1 DNA. PCR is used to amplify a specific region of DNA. After this particular reaction was completed, I added some loading dye and electrophoresed the samples on an agarose gel. When the gel is placed on a UV lamp, the dye causes the amplified DNA fragment to fluoresce. The series of bands that are on either side of the gel make up a DNA ladder, which allows you to see how large the isolated fragment is. In the case of MKP-1, I was looking for a piece of DNA approximately 1200 base pairs in size. As you can see, there are three bands on the left side of the gel that are really bright and about the same size: that’s my MKP-1.

My computer is having some issues, so that’s all for now, folks.