Blot
By :Grant Akalonu
CHE 447-01
Objective/Introduction
The purpose of this experiment was to understand how southern blotting is used to
diagnose sickle cell anemia. Southern blotting is a technique used in molecular biology to detect
specific DNA sequences in a DNA sample. In this experiment, we studied a hypothetical
situation in which two parents are tested to see if the possess the sickle cell trait.
Methods/Materials
The results of southern blotting are shown in Figure 1. At the top of the gel, the negative
current form electrophoresis pushes the samples toward the positive end of the gel (the bottom).
The rate which the samples move down the gel depends on the size of the DNA fragments. The
larger DNA fragments move slower down the gel and remain at the top, and the smaller ones
move quicker and move closer to the bottom of the gel. Based on the result in Figure 1, it
appears that the parents are both carriers of the sickle cell gene, and the child is normal. The
travel distance of the fragments for both parents match that of a carrier, and the travel distance of
the child matches that of a normal individual.