The Attractin Gene

This week has been off to a great start! I completed amplifying a region of the attractin gene (specifically, intron 17) in the rock pocket mice samples from Kenzin, NM, and have now started to amplify and prepare that same region for sequencing in the mice samples from Carrizozo, NM. If the attractin gene or agouti gene is involved in coat coloration in both populations of mice, this would be due to two separate mutations, because of the vast age difference in the two lava flows. Additionally, it is very probable that the agouti gene is largely responsible for coat color in the Kenzin population, because the Kenzin population has three groupings based on appearance (phenotypes) of coat color: melanic (solid, dark hair), agouti (dark hair with a band of light hair at the tip), and an intermediate shade between the two. I am becoming faster at completing each step of the process necessary to send the DNA samples out for sequencing and have learned how to troubleshoot various issues throughout the process. I cannot wait until tomorrow when I will hopefully begin to obtain some sequences from the Kenzin mice and will have the chance to align and analyze the data! Experiencing another step in the experimental process will be exciting!

This week, I have also done activities beyond experimentation. I am currently reading an article discussing the relationship between the attractin gene and a mutation in agouti. I also attended the Tuesday lab meeting, which was a thorough review of the goals of this laboratory in examining the agouti gene; this was done in order to introduce prospective graduate students to the topic of Professor Nachman's laboratory, but proved very beneficial to everyone involved in the agouti project, as we learned more about what progress we have made so far and the specific topics on which each individual is investigating. My project is progressing wonderfully and I hope to soon post details of the data.