Molecular Biology of the Sickle Cell Disease
For Student Groups
The existence of the sickle cell mutation in different lab samples is analyzed using molecular methods.
- Age
- 16 to 21 years
- Duration
- 1 day
- Maximum number of participants
- 20
Experiments
- Isolation of plasmid DNA from bacteria
- Restriction analysis of DNA
- Agarose gel electrophoresis
The sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder caused by a point mutation within the β-globin gene. This changes the structure of the hemoglobin molecule, resulting in its dysfunction. In this course, the sickle cell disease will be analyzed on DNA level using molecular techniques. The unaffected and the mutated variant of the ß-globin gene will be examined by restriction analysis. The resulting DNA fragments are different in length and can be analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis.