Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Plant Research
Tiara Askew - Bowie State University
Co-Author(s): Egwuonwu Johnson, Amber Morrow, and Andrew Marshall-Cort, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
DNA barcoding is a laboratory technique used to identify, classify, and verify plants and animal species via a small sequence of DNA. The focus of this research was to determine the validity of the whole wheat that is advertised in whole wheat flour, in addition to learning molecular biological techniques. To determine the validity of the collected flours, DNA was extracted from the samples followed by PCR using the rbcL primer. Subsequently, agarose gel electrophoresis was used to confirm the presence of the amplicons which was then sent to Genewiz LLC for sequencing. Samples were analyzed using DNA Subway, an intuitive interface for genome informatics developed by the iPlant Collaborative. The “Blue Line” of DNA Subway articulates with a complete set of lab materials for DNA barcoding, allowing students to merge biochemistry, bioinformatics, evolution, and ecology. The results verified the presence of whole wheat in the flour, mainly Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum), however some results were inconclusive due to possible human error.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): HBCU-Up Targeted Infusion--'Bowie State Applied Biotechnology Initiative'
Faculty Advisor: George Ude,