asis of the T7 expression system, developed and patented at Brookhaven in the 1980s and 1990s, and used worldwide by academia and industry to produce specific proteins within bacterial cells. With the tools in the kit, students are able to use T7 to infect a harmless strain of the bacterium E. coli. Because the E. coli has been genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein only after infection, students can determine where infections have occurred with the aid of ultraviolet light. Using T7 as a model, students also can safely learn about other viruses, such as HIV, influenza and SARS.
F. William Studier, a Brookhaven scientist who has long worked with T7 to learn about basic genetic and biochemical processes, commented, "T7 grows rapidly and results come quickly, and students should have fun working with it. I certainly do."
With the tools in a protein extraction and purification kit, students can learn techniques that scientists use at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source to study biological materials. Using chromatography, a technique to identify the components of chemical mixtures, students learn how to extract and purify green fluorescent protein from jellyfish. Students also can learn about a technique called protein crystallography, a critical process in determining a protein's structure.
The four kits are advertised in WARD'S catalog as part of its new product showcase. Jeff Douglass, President of WARD'S Natural Science, said, "We are honored to partner with Brookhaven National Laboratory to bring revolutionary science within the reach of students and teachers everywhere. The Nobel Prize-caliber of science at Brookhaven Lab and the 145 years of education expertise at WARD'S create a powerful combination of innovation and technology."
One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation of State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization. Visit Brookhaven Lab's electronic newsroom for links, news archives, graphics, and more: http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Apr 2016
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