Biology 357 - Research Methods in Vertebrate Sex Determination

The expression of sex determining genes varies throughout embryonic development. This laboratory provides students with hands-on wet laboratory techniques (e.g., RNA extraction), and data analysis skills in R and Linux environments. This is a semester-long, in-depth research experience where students extract and sequence gonadal RNA across development in a model species with temperature-dependent sex determination, the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta); identify expressed genes at each stage; and confirm expression across tissues using targeted RNA in situ fluorescent hybridization (RNA-ISH) and confocal microscopy. The resulting data sets are extensively analyzed, including the implications of ongoing environmental changes. Corequisite: BIO 356. Prerequisite: BIO 230 or BIO 232. Enrollment limited to 16. (E)

[CE] BIO 230 or 232