DRD4 Repeats
Lead Investigators: Zeb Haradon, Michal Galdzicki, Ph.D.
Contact Info: science@hivebio.org
The Dopamine Receptor D4 (DRD4) gene contains a segment 48 base pairs long, which repeats between 2 and 11 times, depending on the individual. Some studies have shown particular phenotypes, or traits, in people who have exactly 7 repeats. Such people may exhibit characteristics such as a novelty seeking personality, susceptibility to ADHD, longevity, a nomadic lifestyle, and other traits.
This project will test how many copies of the repeating segment each subject has. A segment of DNA containing the repeating region will be isolated and amplified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), then the segment will be weighed using gel electrophoresis. The results of the electrophoresis should give an estimate of the length of the isolated segment, which will indicate how many copies of the repeating region the subject has within it.
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- Noah, Georgia and Zeb set up the gel
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- The blue dye indicates where the DNA is in the gel
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- The transilluminator allows us to visualize the bands
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- HiveBio’s first electrophoresis gel!
Hi, my name is Omar Camareno. This project looks very interesting and I will like to know if I can help. I have some experience in PCR