2012 Volume 52 Issue 4 Pages 165-178
In the high school curriculum today the concept of“The central dogma” is not included in“Biology”. Only students who take the applied biology class have an opportunity to learn the concept in “BiologyⅡ”, where an E. coli cell-based recombinant system has been used for a student experiment. In the new curriculum coming in 2012, it is scheduled to be taught the central dogma at first or second grade in the first chapter of “Basic Biology”. In view of the importance in modern biology, it has been desired to have a new educational material which hits the spots in both features, effectiveness and easy-handling. Here we introduced that an in vitro simple gene expression kit is useful for visualization of transcription and translation processes in a test tube. Transcription was carried out using a phage RNA polymerase, and production of the mRNA was directly monitored using an RNA staining dye. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was translated in the wheat germ cell- free protein synthesis system, and the product was detected directly by its fluorescence. Having established the kit, we have tested its value in the present “BiologyⅡ” classes, and could in fact confirm its usefulness. Since wheat seeds are foodstuff, the kit is free of bio-hazard and ethical issues. We expect that the kit will provide effective methods also in the new curriculum.
