Blackett Family DNA Activity

Problem 2: Hint

The autorad contains 8 alleles for the siblings tested. Which of the alleles and how many are shared between each of the siblings?

This question may sound confusing. The Blackett activity contains four loci. Each loci contains two bands per lane for each autorad thus giving the total number of eight alleles per child. If that is understood, simply compare the alleles of the two children for all four loci. For an allele to be shared, the band must have migrated the same distance down the gel.

Notice loci D10S28 on your left. Both children share the same bands inherited from their parents. At the D10S28 loci, both pair of alleles are shared. Be careful when examining the gels. Notice that in D10S28, the lanes curve to the left at the bottom of the gel. There are many reasons why a gel might appear to be curved. One explanation could be when the gel was being cast, the gel electrophoresis box may not have been placed on a level surface.

Compare the bands by using the control ladder in lane 11 as a reference for distance traveled. This control ladder should aid you in your search for shared alleles.


The Biology Project
University of Arizona
Monday, June 2, 1997
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