1. Make a square of gram cubes.

a. Use eight gram cubes to make each square. The center of each square should be empty.

b. No bumps should be inside of the empty space at the center of the square.

c. Make enough squares for each student pair.

2. Place all materials at the distribution center.

3. Divide the class into pairs.

Instruction

Direct each student pair to obtain the following necessary materials from the distribution center: eleven (11) gram cubes of the same color, one (1) gram cube of a different color, and one (1) gram cube square.

GET FOCUSED

Students will be translating the genetic code of a sequence of nucleotides and building proteins in the lab. Students should consider the following questions as they conduct their experiments:

• • How is the genetic code interpreted by cells?
  • How can a mutation affect the function of a protein?
  • Do all mutations have a negative effect on a protein?

INVESTIGATE

Trial 1

1. During this Trial, each student of each pair will construct a protein using a set of “RNA” instructions. Students will then test whether their protein will be able to perform its function. In this case, the function will be that the protein should be able to pass through a hole in a gram cube square. Students will discern that the protein encoded by allele A will be able to perform its function, while the protein encoded by allele B will not be able to perform its function. Students will perform this trial to answer the following questions:

• • How is the genetic code interpreted by cells?
  • How can a mutation affect the function of a protein?

Ask students to turn to Problem 2 (Trial 1) in their Student Data Records. 

Students should follow the protocol in their Student Data Records to complete each step (2a through 2j) of Trial 1.

Trial 2

During this trial, students will decode a sequence of nucleotides using a codon-amino acid key. Students will discover that one mistake in a sequence of nucleotides can cause a disruption in the interpretation of that sequence. Students will also discover that mutations may change the translation of a sequence but will not always change whether that sequence can be read by a cell. As students perform this trial they should consider the following questions:

• • How is the genetic code interpreted by cells?
  • How can a mutation affect the function of a protein?
  • Do all mutations have a negative effect on a protein?

KEYS

CLEAN UP

Let students know your expectations for clean-up. Ask them to clean up.