The final course in the biochemistry curriculum, which focuses on preparative and analytical biochemistry, will be upgraded by introducing modern techniques in nucleic acid analysis during six of the fourteen laboratory periods. The new work includes identification of bacterial colonies harboring recombinant plasmids using phenotypic and hybridization methods, isolation and analysis of recombinant plasmid DNA, and isolation and sequencing of single stranded DNA molecules. Major equipment includes facilities for preparing and culturing bacteria, a vacuum oven and uv crosslinker for binding DNA molecules for hybridization, centrifuge rotors and column chromatography for plasmic DNA isolation, electrophoresis equipment for restriction endonuclease analysis and sequencing the isolated plasmids, and uv transillumination and autoradiography for visualization of nucleic acids. The college will provide 50% matching funds.
