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PRESENTER: The materials you will need are one conventional, non-GM soybean.
One GM soybean.
Two reaction vials or one microliter micro tube.
Two transfer pipettes.
Two lateral flow test strips.
1% PBS buffer or distilled water.
Four weigh boats.
Access to tweezers, scoopulas, paper towels, hammer,
and isopropyl alcohol wipes.
Using the seeds in the GM soybean seed kit,
allow students to observe and compare the seeds.
Students should look for observable differences in shape, size, and color.
Note: Little to no difference will be observable in the seeds.
As students observe,
be sure that the two varieties are kept separate.
Explain to the class that although the two seeds look the same,
there is a difference between them
and we are going to do an experiment to try and discover it.
Complete the following lab tests for the class to see.
Label the micro tubes for identification of the seed
that will be tested by labeling one "A", and the other "B".
Break the seed by placing one GM soybean
between two small weight boats and tapping it with a hammer.
The seed should break into 2 or 3 pieces
to allow enough surface area to be exposed for extraction.
Note: Do not crush the seed.
Crushing can cause issues recovering all pieces for extraction
and may cause cross-contamination of the testing area.
Repeat this step with the conventional soybean
using separate weigh boats.
Remove the top weigh boats
and place the seed pieces in the correct micro tube.
If the seed is stuck to the boat, use tweezers or a scoopula
to gently release it.
Do not touch the seeds with your hands to avoid cross-contamination.
Clean tweezers with 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol wipes
to prevent cross-contamination.
If any of the particles of the GM seed sample
end up in the conventional sample,
you will get a false positive on the test strip.
So, it is important to use different weigh boats
and to clean the scoopula
to prevent what we call in the lab, "cross-contamination".
Use the pipette to fill the micro tube with 1% PBS buffer or distilled water.
Approximately 0.5 milliliters
Using the pipette as a pestle and the micro tube as a mortar,
stir in the seed pieces for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Be sure to stir with separate pipettes to avoid cross-contamination.
Let the micro tube with the pieces of seed and distilled water or 1% PBS buffer,
stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
Place one lateral flow test strip inside each vial
with the arrow pointing downward.
Allow the test to continue
in the micro tube at room temperature for five minutes.
During this time, explain how the lateral flow strip test works
using the lesson plan.
Interpreting the results.
If the sample contains the CP for protein, a second line will develop.
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Note: If you grow the plants out, you can also use the leaf tissue as well
instead of the seeds.
Just take a micro tube, sandwich it between the cap and the leaf.
Punch a small hole.
Add your PBS buffer or your distilled water.
Use this as a mortar and pestle, crush it up,
and do the lateral flow strip test.
Is there a difference between these two varieties of soybean?
Guide a class discussion for students to conclude
that these two varieties of soybean are fundamentally the same.
They are both soybeans.
However, one variety has a protein that the other does not.
Ask students, "How did the seed obtain that protein?"
Introduce the concept
that the genome of a plant can be changed using a variety of methods
In the following lesson, students will learn
how these two seed varieties became different
and explore the impact that a single gene can have.
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