DNA Chips (The Newest Product From Lays): Studying Varying Gene Expression in Lung Cancer Cells

   In the nucleus, the process of transcription creates an mRNA strand using DNA as a template. This mRNA is then used as a template for translation at the ribosome, which builds protein strands based on the information in the mRNA. Each gene codes for a specific protein that affects a cells function in a variety of ways. Not all genes are expressed in every cell, however. The variable of gene expression is what allows an organism to have different cell types, such as blood cells, skin cells, lung cells, etc.
   Scientists determine and study differences in gene expression using a microarray. Using cDNA made from mRNA, scientists are able to see only the genes that are expressed in each cell, rather than the entire genome, which is filled with many non-coding regions that are useless for this research. This type of experiment is often done to compare cancerous cells of a certain type to healthy cells of that type.
   There is no single cause of cancer in human beings. As is evident on a microarray, there are many different genes that change in expression level when a cell becomes cancerous. In this lab, we will look at six genes and compare them between healthy lung cells and cancerous lung cells. The microarray simulation will tell us which genes are active in each cell, and how active they are. Genes that have the same level of expression in both cells would not be of interest to us, but genes that are off in one cell and on in another (or vice versa) could help us determine a cause for the cancer and, potentially, a cure. The six genes we will look at are C4BPA, ODC1, FGG, HBG1, SIAT9, and CYP24. These are genes with wildly different functions, any of which could be a reason for the cancer.