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DNA Microarray Methodology Flash Animation
This Flash animation from Davidson College demonstrates how DNA microarray experiments are performed and can be used as a starting point to teach students the basics of microarray technology. The microarray allows scientists to measure simultaneously the expression of the entire genome in one experiment. One common use of microarrays, or DNA chips, is to determine which genes are activated and which are repressed when two populations of cells are compared. The animation uses yeast as a model system to determine gene expression in yeast grown in two different experimental conditions: aerobic (in the presence of oxygen) versus aerobic (in the absence of oxygen). The animation explains all the steps of the process, but focuses, for the sake of simplicity, on the expression of three genes. The animation uses sound, which can be turned off, and mouse-over identification to help students learn and retain the information. Users can also replay any section of the animation. A more detailed explanation of the microarray methodology, with text files, is available in the “methods” section of the Microarrays MediaBook, a Davidson College resource contained within this database.
DNA Microarray Methodology: cDNA Synthesis
After isolating mRNA from each cell type, researchers use this mRNA as templates to generate cDNA with a "fluorescent tag" attached. Different tags (red and green) are used so that the samples can be differentiated in subsequent steps.
Media: Flash MultimediaProgram Director: Verna Miller Case, Ph.D.
Award Years: 1988, 1996, 2004, 2008
Summary: Davidson College is a private baccalaureate institution in Davidson, North Carolina. Its HHMI-funded initiatives include:
- The use of multiple strategies to engage students in the biomedical sciences, including the creation of a community of mentors and peers to carry students beyond the gateway year;
- An intensive summer laboratory “bridge” experience for rising high school seniors from underrepresented groups that prepares them for the challenges of college introductory biology courses by teaching them basic laboratory techniques and scientific methodology; and
- Support for the collaborative Genomic Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT), which has helped produce new cadres of student researchers, primarily by introducing powerful DNA microarray methodology into the undergraduate curriculum at more than 160 institutions in the United States and Canada.