Week 4

Extraction of DNA from Escherichia coli

Nathan Andrew

Is it possible to extract DNA from my sample of Escherichia coli for the purpose of analyzing the DNA? I think it is possible to extract DNA from my given sample. I chose this as my research topic because I am considering a degree in Biology and this is the first step on my journey to make my final decision as to what career path I will take and expand my horizons as a scientist. I decided to do try and extract DNA from Escherichia coli to genetically analyze it. It is important to conduct research in this area because analyzing the genetics of Escherichia coli can tell us an almost infinite number of things about the bacteria. It can give us insight to its virulence and how it affects human health and disease, as well as the specific subtype. In order to be able to analyze the DNA of E. coli though, I must first be able to extract it. In order to do this, I will be experimenting using several different bacterial DNA extraction methods, such as: Boiling protocol, TE Boiling Protocol, TE Freeze and Thaw Protocol, Lysis Protocol, Meat Tenderizer Protocol, and KIT Protocol. I will then use Electrophoresis and a nanodrop spectrophotometer to determine the amount of DNA present in my sample as well as the purity.

Name	I/D/C	Description
Escherichia coli	Constant	Bacteria used for attempting DNA extraction
DNA extraction protocols	Independent variable	Methods used to extract DNA from Escherichia coli bacteria
DNA amount and purity measured by electrophoresis or nanodrop spectrophotometer	Dependent variable	Amount and purity, if any, of DNA extracted from bacteria

Works Cited

De Oliveira, C. F., Paim, T. G. da S., Reiter, K. C., Rieger, A., & D’azevedo, P. A. (2014). EVALUATION OF FOUR DIFFERENT DNA EXTRACTION METHODS IN COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI CLINICAL ISOLATES. Revista Do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 56(1), 29–33. http://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652014000100004

These are some of the chemicals I will be using for the DNA extraction