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TeacherTECH Science Series : Back to School Biotech - Analysis of Proteins: Protein Quantification
Middle School and High School Teachers are invited to attend an exciting fall TeacherTECH workshop series focused on biotech.
Ready to start the new school year? Looking for some fun “out of the box” lab activities to do with your students? Captivate their imagination. Spark the investigator spirit. Makes the invisible visible and introduce your students to the exciting world of DNA or expand on activities you are already doing in your classes.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
5:00pm - 7:00pm
San Diego Supercomputer Center, Auditorium
University of California, San Diego
Workshop Overview - Analysis of Proteins: Protein Quantification
How much protein is in your food? Apply Beer’s law to measure the protein concentration in foods: milk, sports drinks, soy products, etc. Use the Bradford assay to determine concentration qualitatively by eye, or quantitatively with a spectrophotometer. This lab integrates the physical, chemical, and biological properties of proteins.
Workshop Activities
This inquiry-based kit is designed to introduce students to proteomics, and provides the tools to develop their own protein-based experiments. Based on the Bio-Rad Quick Start Bradford protein assay, students use absorbance values from a set of protein samples with known concentrations to create a standard curve. Protein concentrations of their test samples can then be extrapolated by hand or plotted using a graphing utility such as Microsoft Excel. The Bradford method is based on the color development formed when the dye Coomassie Blue G-250 binds to protein. There is a correlation between the amount of blue color and the amount of protein in the sample: the more protein, the more intense the blue color. The simplicity of the assay allows the results to be measured qualitatively by eye, or quantitatively with a spectrophotometer.
This biophotonics laboratory activity allows students to analyze and compare the protein content in milk, sports drinks, egg, muscle tissue, saliva, tears, or any source of soluble biologically derived material. Students also learn to use a spectrophotometer, micropipet, and computer, which are all invaluable tools in modern bioscience research. Protein quantitation is often necessary before isolation, separation, and analysis by chromatography, electrophoresis, or western blotting. This lab integrates biology, chemistry, and physics, allowing students to develop understanding about how the chemical, physical, and biological properties of proteins determine their structure and function.
The instructor will also show you materials modifications to fit your class and budget.
Come to one or more of our upcoming biotech workshops for this fall:
November 2, 2010: Proteins in Action: ELISA
November, 16, 2010: DNA Analysis: Basics of DNA Electrophoresis
November, 30, 2010: Proteins in Action: Biofuels Enzyme
Please join us for an exciting and informative session of hands-on learning presented by Essy Levy, Curriculum and Training Specialist, Bio-Rad Laboratories.
Registration is free; space is limited. Please contact Ange Mason at 858-534-5064 or amason@ucsd.edu to reserve your space.
For additional information on other TeacherTECH programs, please visit http://education.sdsc.edu/teachertech
