The Attractin Gene

My week has begun wonderfully! I began a new stage in my project, sequencing intron 17 in specimen from a backcross (a cross of a hybrid individual with its parents or individuals genetically identical to its parents) previously conducted in the laboratory. On Monday, I improved in my abilities and speed once again in performing the steps necessary to sequence the DNA; I was able to complete the process for 16 specimen (20 PCR tubes total, including the two negative controls on each end of eight tubes with DNA, which serve to ensure there is no contamination from carry-over of DNA or mixture of the reagents that enter the PCR reaction) simultaneously. The excitement from having a perfect gel with even and bright bands of DNA where expected is amazing! That feeling provides even more reason to love and enjoy laboratory work; in fact, I have grown accustomed to staying at the laboratory late and even locking the laboratory as the last researcher present in order to complete the tasks I have set as my daily goals! I have once again sent numerous samples (including the remaining samples from the Kenzin location, seven samples from the Carrizozo location, and sixteen samples from the backcross) for sequencing and am eager to analyze and report that data soon! I further grouped the Kenzin specimen by phenotype by categorizing them by color in both the light and the dark; this procedure will be repeated numerous times to partially confirm that the specimen are correctly labeled as either light agouti (dark hairs with two light bands), dark agouti (dark hairs with a light tip), or melanic (entirely dark hairs).

Each week, there are numerous meetings and presentations to attend. This Monday, I learned about the research by Louis Bernatchez in Canada. He is examining whitefish to determine a gene at cause for the formation of two different species (one dwarf and one normally sized). This research is very similar to what is being done in Professor Nachman's laboratory, as both are focusing on evolution and adaptation and in both cases, the speciation or adaptation occurred independently in various isolated regions. The presentation was further beneficial, as Bernatchez outlined the thought process that leads to the recognition of an adaptive trait and the steps necessary to examine that trait, steps including, but moving beyond, what I am currently conducting. I also attended a lab meeting on Tuesday where I learned about the research being conducted by a first-year graduate student in Professor Nachman's laboratory who is studying adaptive coloration in bats. I am always amazed at how much variety of experimentation is present within the same laboratory!

With each step in my experimentation moving me closer to a result of whether the attractin gene is involved in coat color (especially in the Carrizozo population), I grow more enthused by the experimental process and more eager to obtain results.