Molecular Biology Techniques: A Classroom Laboratory Manual

by Heather B. Miller, D. Scott Witherow, Sue Carson

Overview

This manual is an indispensable tool for introducing advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students to the techniques of recombinant DNA technology, or gene cloning and expression. The techniques used in basic research and biotechnology laboratories are covered in detail. Students gain hands-on experience from start to finish in subcloning a gene into an expression vector, through purification of the recombinant protein.

The third edition has been completely re-written, with new laboratory exercises and all new illustrations and text, designed for a typical 15-week semester, rather than a 4-week intensive course. The “project” approach to experiments was maintained: students still follow a cloning project through to completion, culminating in the purification of recombinant protein. It takes advantage of the enhanced green fluorescent protein - students can actually visualize positive clones following IPTG induction.

• Cover basic concepts and techniques used in molecular biology research labs
• Student-tested labs proven successful in a real classroom laboratories
• Exercises simulate a cloning project that would be performed in a real research lab
• "Project" approach to experiments gives students an overview of the entire process
• Prep-list appendix contains necessary recipes and catalog numbers, providing staff with detailed instructions

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780123855459
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	10/18/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr. Heather Miller is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Chemistry Department at High Point University (High Point, NC). She graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania (Clarion, PA) with a B.S. in Molecular Biology/Biotechnology, and from Duke University (Durham, NC) with a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. She completed a teaching postdoctoral position in the Biotechnology Program at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC). Her area of scientific expertise is RNA biology. Her research focuses on HIV-1 gene expression and the coupling of transcription and splicing in humans. She has taught at the college level for nine years, and is engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Dr. Witherow graduated from Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) with an A.B. in Chemistry, and from the University of Miami (Miami, FL) with a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology. His research has focused primarily on G protein-mediated signal transduction processes in mammalian systems. Following two research postdoctoral fellowships, Dr. Witherow served as a teaching postdoctoral fellow at North Carolina State University, where he published and presented multiple papers in the field of science education and developed a passion for teaching. He is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Tampa, where he has been teaching undergraduate students since 2011.

Dr. Carson’s area of scientific expertise is in molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. She currently serves as the Director of the Master of Microbial Biotechnology Program and as a Fellow in the Office of Faculty Excellence. Prior to this appointment, she led the NC State Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), focused on faculty development to cultivate students’ critical and creative thinking skills across disciplines. During that period, she also acted as Executive Director of Academic Enrichment Programs, overseeing the Office of Undergraduate Research, Fellowship Advising, and the University Honors and Scholars Programs. Dr. Carson spent over ten years leading curriculum development for the NC State Biotechnology Program. She has received multiple awards for teaching excellence and innovation and was a member of the Howard Hughes Science Education Alliance, promoting and implementing inquiry-guided learning and authentic research in undergraduate curricula. She authored three molecular biology lab manuals and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers in the area of course and curriculum development. She has mentored over 100 undergraduate students in research projects and was the PI and Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Integrative Plant and Microbial Systems Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program for over a decade. Most recently, she completed a 2-year rotation at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Within the Triangle community, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Wake County Beekeeping Association and the Triangle Swing Dance Society.

Table of Contents

PART I MANIPULATION OF DNAPART II SCREENING TRANSFORMANTSPART III EXPRESSION, DETECTION, AND PURIFICATION OF RECOMBINANT PROTEINS

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Completely rewritten with new lab exercises and all new illustrations and text!

Editorial Reviews

"Overall, this manual represents an invaluable training material on practical molecular biology for undergraduates, graduates, and inexperienced researchers. It could also introduce more experienced researchers to experiments that they have not considered previously." —Science Progress, 2012

"Whilst molecular biology has been the focus of course curricula in various bioscience educational programmes, there has been a lack of well-designed laboratory manuals to recommend for the practical sessions of these courses. The third edition of ‘Molecular Biology Techniques’ is one such excellent classroom laboratory manual. It encompasses experiments for 19 laboratory sessions presented as a semester-long project that gets students involved in a comprehensive experimental story from gene cloning to protein purification. The authors have employed the versatility of the PCR technique in various experiments and have also taken advantage of the enhanced green fluorescent protein in visualising positive clones. A new section involving five laboratory sessions on measuring mRNA levels has been added to this third edition. Overall, this manual represents an invaluable training material on practical molecular biology for undergraduates, graduates, and inexperienced researchers. It could also introduce more experienced researchers to experiments that they have not considered previously." —Science Progress

From the Publisher