LEARNING MYSTERY OF GENES; VALENCIA STUDENTS MANIPULATE DNA.Byline: Cynthia Teed Daily News Staff Writer Students worked quietly Wednesday during a molecular biology molecular biology, scientific study of the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. The term molecular biology was coined in 1938 by Warren Weaver, then director of the natural sciences program at the Rockefeller lab - learning techniques developed not so long ago in some of the finest university laboratories in the state. Dave Crissman, science department chairman at Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. and splicing splicing /splic·ing/ (spli´sing) 1. the attachment of individual DNA molecules to each other, as in the production of chimeric genes. 2. RNA s. genes. The class is Molecular Genetics molecular genetics n. The branch of genetics that deals with hereditary transmission and variation on the molecular level. , a college prep course slated to be taught next year as an honors course. ``It's the greatest class, it prepares you for college, and he (Crissman) is just the very best teacher,'' said junior Angela Bolick, who has a 3.5 grade-point average and plans to study pre-med in college. The advanced course deals with the directed alteration of genetic material by intervention in genetic processes - gene splicing, for example, Crissman said. One of 17 science courses approved for next year at Valencia, the molecular genetics course teaches the students the meaning of genetic engineering and what it means to manipulate DNA - unthinkable for high school students 25 years ago, he said. And in the Valencia High lab the students actually work with bacteria, splice genes and compare notes with their lab partners while Crissman mills around talking with the young scientists. Not to worry, all procedures are safe with the students following the lab procedure set by the instructor. The first gene splicings took place in the '70s at the University of California, San Francisco , and at Stanford University. At that time, scientists were worried that humans could be contaminated by manipulating bacteria with DNA - ``the first labs were totally secure, and the scientists wore white suits,'' Crissman explained. ``Now we know that no one has every been hurt by this procedure and that bacteria die when not growing under laboratory conditions. It teaches the students the meaning of genetic engineering, the meaning of dealing with the manipulation of DNA in organisms. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecular basis of heredity. Crissman explained as he consulted with a small group of students that his class is able to extract DNA from organisms. For class experiments, he can use a calf's thymus gland thymus gland (thī`məs), mass of glandular tissue located in the neck or chest of most vertebrate animals. In humans, the thymus is a soft, flattened, pinkish-gray organ located in the upper chest under the breastbone. or have the students use their own DNA (from cheek cells), then use a commercial virus called the lambda virus. Crissman said the lambda virus was a ``good'' virus, because it infects bacteria. ``I actually teach them how to cut and analyze the DNA,'' he said. ``Students then splice it and put it back into organism or cells, and that's what the students are doing this week in the lab.'' Students have learned to transfer a gene from a jelly fish to E. coli E. coli: see Escherichia coli. E. coli in full Escherichia coli Species of bacterium that inhabits the stomach and intestines. E. coli can be transmitted by water, milk, food, or flies and other insects. bacteria in the lab, the process will make it glow green - best seen with a ultraviolet light Ultraviolet light A portion of the light spectrum not visible to the eye. Two bands of the UV spectrum, UVA and UVB, are used to treat psoriasis and other skin diseases. , he said. ``The teacher's great, the course is an excellent college prep course - it really teaches something about what life is,'' said Pejvak Fallaahi, a senior who plans to attend USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. in the fall. Crissman said he is trying to teach the process of molecular engineering so that students will understand what transpires in biotechnology. And his hard work pays off. Many of his former students have gone on to college and entered the field of molecular biology, first inspired in his classroom, he said. Some even come back to help Crissman out. Jerry Ostrove, a former student, came back to Valencia and now teaches alongside his former teacher. Crissman is demanding, inspiring, cheerful and totally dedicated to the students and to the study of biology, Ostrove said. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Dave Crissman gives instructions to his 11th-grade science class at Valencia High School before they head to the lab to work on a gene-splicing experiment. (2--Color) From left, Angela Bolick and Melina Karamian watch Josh Smith place transformed bacteria into a petri dish pe·tri dish n. A shallow circular dish with a loose-fitting cover, used to culture bacteria or other microorganisms. Petri dish a shallow, circular, glass or disposable plastic dish used to grow bacteria on solid media such as agar. during a gene experiment. (3--Color) Melina Karamian holds a petri dish at Valencia High School. David Crane/Daily News |
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