This laboratory exercise introduces students to DNA extraction, biological barcoding, and sequence analysis; and reinforces the concept of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It takes advantage of the dipstick extraction technique that is cheap and fast and allows for DNA extraction and PCR setup on the same day in an 1:50 hr Introductory Biology lab. Students determine whether local businesses actually use the fish that they advertise, or if cheaper fish are being passed off as the more expensive species in order to boost profits. Different species of fish are collected from local vendors; DNA from their tissues is extracted; and a region from the Cytochrome C Oxidase I gene is amplified. After PCR, results are sent off for sequencing. The following week, chromatogram results are uploaded to NCBI, they are compared to existing genomic datasets, and conclusions are discussed in class.
Keywords: taxonomy, PCR, DNA barcoding, Dipstick DNA Extraction, molecular techniques
University of Ottawa (2019)
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