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From Primers to Pipettes: An Immersive Course Introducing High School Students to qPCR for Quantifying Chemical Defense Gene Expression

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Title: From Primers to Pipettes: An Immersive Course Introducing High School Students to qPCR for Quantifying Chemical Defense Gene Expression
Language: English
Authors: Zeke T. Spooner (ORCID 0009-0008-8120-465X), Angela M. Encerrado-Manriquez, Tina T. Truong, Sascha C. T. Nicklisch (ORCID 0000-0003-3120-6485)
Source: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. 2024 52(6):633-647.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2024
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (USDA)
Contract Number: CADETX2526H
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: High School Students, Science Instruction, Quality Control, Genetics, Summer Programs, Hazardous Materials, Biochemistry, Course Descriptions, Data Analysis, Laboratory Experiments, Lecture Method, Marine Biology, Hands on Science, Environmental Education, Pollution
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21851
ISSN: 1470-8175
1539-3429
Abstract: We created a 2-week, dual-module summer course introducing high school students to environmental toxicology by teaching them quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a way to quantify gene expression of chemical defense proteins in response to exposure to environmental pollutants. During the course, students are guided through the various stages of a successful qPCR experiment: in silico primer design and quality control, total RNA extraction and isolation, cDNA conversion, primer test PCR, and evaluation of results via agarose gel electrophoresis or UV/Vis spectra. The course combines lectures, discussions, and demonstrations with dry and wet laboratory sections to give students a thorough understanding of the scope, utility, and chemical principles of qPCR. At the end of the course, the students are taught how to analyze qPCR data and are encouraged to discuss their findings with other classmates to evaluate their hypotheses and assess possible sources of error. This course was designed to be easily adaptable to multiple test species, chemical exposures, and genes of interest. To explore both terrestrial and aquatic toxicology, the students use honey bees ("Apis mellifera") and mosquitofish ("Gambusia affinis") as test organisms, as well as ABC-type efflux transporters, antioxidant enzymes, and cytochrome P450 enzymes as endpoints for assessing gene expression. We share this course setup and applied protocols to encourage others to design and offer similar courses that give high school students a hands-on introduction to a broad swath of environmental toxicology research and an opportunity to develop scientific skills necessary for university-level research.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1448786
Database: ERIC
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  Data: From Primers to Pipettes: An Immersive Course Introducing High School Students to qPCR for Quantifying Chemical Defense Gene Expression
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zeke+T%2E+Spooner%22">Zeke T. Spooner</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8120-465X">0009-0008-8120-465X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Angela+M%2E+Encerrado-Manriquez%22">Angela M. Encerrado-Manriquez</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tina+T%2E+Truong%22">Tina T. Truong</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sascha+C%2E+T%2E+Nicklisch%22">Sascha C. T. Nicklisch</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3120-6485">0000-0003-3120-6485</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Biochemistry+and+Molecular+Biology+Education%22"><i>Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education</i></searchLink>. 2024 52(6):633-647.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: We created a 2-week, dual-module summer course introducing high school students to environmental toxicology by teaching them quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a way to quantify gene expression of chemical defense proteins in response to exposure to environmental pollutants. During the course, students are guided through the various stages of a successful qPCR experiment: in silico primer design and quality control, total RNA extraction and isolation, cDNA conversion, primer test PCR, and evaluation of results via agarose gel electrophoresis or UV/Vis spectra. The course combines lectures, discussions, and demonstrations with dry and wet laboratory sections to give students a thorough understanding of the scope, utility, and chemical principles of qPCR. At the end of the course, the students are taught how to analyze qPCR data and are encouraged to discuss their findings with other classmates to evaluate their hypotheses and assess possible sources of error. This course was designed to be easily adaptable to multiple test species, chemical exposures, and genes of interest. To explore both terrestrial and aquatic toxicology, the students use honey bees ("Apis mellifera") and mosquitofish ("Gambusia affinis") as test organisms, as well as ABC-type efflux transporters, antioxidant enzymes, and cytochrome P450 enzymes as endpoints for assessing gene expression. We share this course setup and applied protocols to encourage others to design and offer similar courses that give high school students a hands-on introduction to a broad swath of environmental toxicology research and an opportunity to develop scientific skills necessary for university-level research.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 15
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      – SubjectFull: Science Instruction
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      – SubjectFull: Quality Control
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      – TitleFull: From Primers to Pipettes: An Immersive Course Introducing High School Students to qPCR for Quantifying Chemical Defense Gene Expression
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