Biochemistry laboratory projects and methods:
 

Some general principles to follow in whatever project you choose to work on:

• Most biological materials (enzymes, DNA, RNA) are extremely fragile; treat them carefully. Freezing and thawing, vigorous shaking or stirring, overheating can all lead to changes in structure that can significantly affect their behavior and function.
• When preparing solutions, it is better, especially at first, to prepare too little, rather than so much that it must be thrown away. If you are unsure about the stability of a solution, make it fresh each time you use it.
• Enzyme preparations should be considered to have a lifetime of < 1 day, unless you have personal data to indicate otherwise.
• Enzymes provided in powder form should be dissolved in buffer and kept frozen when not in use. 20% glycerol in the buffer will usually prolong the life of the enzyme.
• For complex reaction mixtures in which you will be varying the amount of one or more component, prepare stock solutions that are 10 to 50 times more concentrated than what is found in the mixture. This will allow you to add a convenient volume of the stock solution to achieve the desired concentration.
• Store your solutions in the refrigerator, cold room or freezer; keep them tightly closed.

  ATP synthesis and hydrolysis by chloroplasts

Rubisco isolation and assay

Polyphenol oxidase isolation and characterization

Enzyme regulation - pyruvate kinase

The free energy of protein folding