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Dive into the world of DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis using Bioinformatics tools. Learn to create phylogenic trees and compare DNA sequences for evolutionary relationships. Understand how bioinformatics revolutionizes large-scale DNA data management. Enhance your ability to analyze genetic similarities and differences. Join the exploration with this hands-on lab session.
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Lesson Aims & Objectives • Two part lab: First part will be completed in class today. • (1) Use the online Bioinformatics tool ClustalW to analyze DNA sequences for evolutionary relationships. • AND Create phylogenic trees (Cladograms) to represent these relationships.
Before doing this lab you should understand: • Phylogenetic trees/ Cladogramsshow relationships between organisms. Depending on the type of analysis, these relationships can be evolutionary or simply show the percent similarity between two organisms. • DNA sequencing is a way to determine the order of nucleotide bases (A, T, C, and G) in a segment of DNA. • Bioinformatics is a combination of molecular biology, statistical analysis, and computer programming. It allows scientists in many fields to analyze large quantities of DNA
After doing this lab you should be able to • Describe how bioinformatics allows scientists to study and manage large quantities of DNA-related data. • Compare multiple DNA sequences and analyze their similarities using multiple sequence alignment tools.
What you need: • Computer with internet access and java installed
Questions for Discussion • 1.Based on the results of your Scores Table, which two sequences were most similar? Which two sequences were most different? • 2.Describe how this phylogenetic tree compares to the phylogenetic tree you drew for the same eight organisms in class (without the computer). Explain any differences that you observe. What could cause those differences? • 3.In class, you and your group analyzed DNA sequences that were 72 base pairs (bp) long. The entire human genome is a little more than three billion bp. Describe the challenges scientists would face if they were to carry out DNA analysis by hand. What advantages do computers provide to bioinformatics? • 4.Describe different situations where bioinformatics could be useful. Choose examples from different professions. Write one paragraph for each example. Be thorough and specific in your description, if you have researched for resources remember you must reference any work that is not your own