Activity #1: Using DNA microarray to determine gene expression in the mythical Menehunevs. an Irish Leprechaun.

You are scientist studying the magical creatures. Specifically you are looking at the differences between the Menehune of Hawaii and the Leprechauns of Ireland. Both are tiny magical creatures, capable of creating amazing feats in the night, rarely seen by humans and tend toward mischief! They have both adapted to their unique environments, the Menehune in the deep forest or hills of Pu'ukapele ("Hills of Pele"), on the island of Hawaii and the Leprechauns in their farmhouses and wine cellars of Ireland. You are curious about their genetics and which genes these magical little people express. You know that DNA Microarrays are often used to compare the genes of two samples, so you chose this method to help with your research.

Thanks to the Mythical Genome Project which has sequenced the genomes of both the Menehune and the Leprechaun, you have spotted a DNA chip with the genes you are most interested in. They are:

Official Name of Gene / Characteristic it encodes
Elfismin / Small stature
Owl-a-phobia / Phobia of owls
Fashionase / Desire to wear clothes
Mischiefite / Propensity towards mischief making
Rainbowphillism / Love of rainbows
Musclin / Super strength
Nocturnalin / Nocturnal
Scenery-itis / Love of only the most beautiful places
Disappearin / Disappear in the blink of an eye
Speedyism / Great feats in a short time
Gold-it is / Tendency to store gold
Cupid’s arrow / Turn an angry heart to a loving heart

You’ve collected samples from both creatures (no easy task in itself!) labeled the Menehune sample red and the Leprechaun sample green (of course!) and run your microarray. The results are below:

Fill in the table below to indicate which genes are expressed in (B), only the Menehune (M) and the Leprechaun (L).

Grid location / Gene Name / Characteristic / Expression
A1 / Elfismin / Responsible for small stature
A2 / Positive control: GAPDH / Housekeeping gene
A3 / Owl-a-phobia / Phobia of owls
A4 / Fashionase / Desire to wear clothes
A5 / Mischiefite / Propensity towards mischief making
B1 / Rainbowphillism / Love of rainbows
B2 / Musclin / Super strength
B3 / Nocturnalin / Responsible for nocturnal nature
B4 / Scenery-itis / Found in the most beautiful places
B5 / Disappearin / Disappear in the blink of an eye
C1 / Blank
C2 / Negative control
C3 / Speedyism / Great feats in a short time
C4 / Gold-it is / Tendency to store gold
C5 / Cupid’s arrow / Turn an angry heart to a loving heart

Based on your results, what are the main differences between the magical Menehune and the Leprechauns? Do these similarities and differences correlate to what is known about these creatures?

Activity 1: Using DNA Microarray
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