MLS 1: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC SIMPLE DNA EXTRACTION USING BANANA

Simple DNA extract using Banana attached to the sugar molecule (Deoxyribose) in a double

📑All living things, fruits and people included, pass on 🔊

helix
Nitrogenous bases: Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine,
information from one generation to the next using the same Adenosine ; once paired (Base Pairs) they are responsible

📑
basic material, deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA.
🔊
for the double helix
The information in DNA in every single cells instructs our Nitrogenous bases are composed of purines and
bodies how to develop and function. Our genes produce pyrimidines that are complementary with each other and

📑
molecules called proteins that do most of the work in the body.
Variants of genes, called alleles, are responsible for
differences in hair color, eye color, and earlobe shape. All of
these instructions fit within tiny packages within our tiny cells
hydrogen bonds bind together the double strand.
☑ Living things pass on information from one generation to
the next using the same basic material, deoxyribonucleic or
DNA.

📑
unseen by the naked eye. ☑ The information in DNA in every single cells instructs our
If you took the entire DNA out of some middle-sized bodies how to develop and function.
organism like a piece of fruit, one could see and even touch ☑ Variants of genes, called alleles, are responsible for
DNA. differences in hair color, eye color, and earlobe shape.
CORE TECHNIQUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ☑ All of these instructions fit within tiny packages within our

📑 A. POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION 🔊

tiny cells unseen by the naked eye.
Variants of genes called alleles are responsible for the color

📑
☑ CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUE IN MOLBIO:
of our eyes, shape of earlobe and etc.
🔊Not
Rapid advances in biochemical & mol
all medical professionals/laboratory
☑ If you took the entire DNA out of some middle-sized
organism like a piece if fruit, one could use and even touch
☑ DNA AS THE GENETIC MATERIAL DNA.
☑ Consist of two
strands of a ☑ HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
sugar-phosphate ☑ Began in 1990 and was completed in 2003
backbone that are ☑ Aimed to sequence the whole human genome
bound together by ● Complete set of genetic information
hydrogen bonds ● Led to an explosion of research in the field of
between two Molecular Biology and Diagnostics
purines and two ● Development of high-throughput technologies with
pyrimidines important applications to diagnosis
☑ The genetic similarity of a human and a cat is 90%

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 MLS 1: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC SIMPLE DNA EXTRACTION USING BANANA

☑ The genetic similarity of a human and a banana is 60%

☑ The genetic similarity of a human and a chimpanzee is 96% ☑ PROCEDURE
☑ Consist of 3.2 billion base pairs of DNA
● 99.5% of DNA of two different individuals are shared 1. Mush half of the banana in the zip bag for
at the genomic level about a minute until all the lumps are gone
● Person-to-person variation is located in less than and it looks homogeneous in texture.
0.5% of the DNA (corresponds to about 15 million
*optional: One could opt to have the banana
🔊
base pairs)
In this human genome project they’re were able to find out crushed by a food blender to ensure breaking
apart of cells.
🔊
the similarities to other organisms.
Human Genome Research Institute that performed this
2. Pour ½ cup of hot water and 1 tsp salt in a
experiment
cup.
☑ MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE ACTIVITY 3. Pour the saltwater mix into the zip bag
● ½ peeled ripe banana (you can also use strawberries
containing the mashed banana. Close the bag and very gently

🔊
and other soft fruits)
squeeze and move the saltwater and banana mush together.
Do not use over ripe bananas, ang sakto sakto lng na
Do this for 30 to 45 seconds.
pwede makaon.Preferably ang lakatan
● ½ cup hot water
● 1 tsp salt
🔊 The reason why we use hot water is “para maganda ang
pagka homogenous mixture nang salt and water”.
● ½ tsp liquid dishwashing soap
● Very cold isopropyl alcohol and place in freezer ahead 4. Add the dishwashing soap into the zip
of time (make sure to label it before putting in freezer) bag and gently mix the contents. Avoid
● Gauze making too much foam.
● Clear glass
● Stirrer or applicator stick 5. Place the gauze (coffee filter can also be
● Zip bag used) in a clear glass. Secure the top of the
● Scotch tape filter around the lip of the cup with adhesives.

🔊Make sure that when using the gauze use

an adhesive tape so that it will securely seal the lip of the cup

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 MLS 1: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC
🔊Using a strainer is not recommended its better to use a
gauze, because it’s economical and readily available in all
pharmacies and because gauze has smaller holes that can
separation of the lumps and the fluid to be use in further
experiment.
6. Pour the mix into the gauze/filter slowly to avoid breaking
the filter. Let it sit until all of the liquid drips down into the cup.
🔊Gently pour the mix to our glass so it won’t detach the
coffee filter or wire gauze on top
🔊 Let is completely drip down from the gauze for several
minutes
7. Remove and throw away the used coffee filter.
🔊throw the coffee filter in the biodegradable filter.
8. Tilt the glass and slowly add cold
isopropyl alcohol down the side of the
cup. Make sure to let the alcohol form a
layer on top of the banana mix extract
staying separated. Pour until the alcohol
layer forms 1-2 inches thick.
🔊Make sure that the two layer will not mix, and that's the
purpose of titling so it will not disturb the particle at the bottom
of the tube.
🔊 The mixture will form a 2 layers,bottom layer is the
banana mix and the upper layer should be the isopropyl
alcohol
MLS 3G A.Y. 2020-2021
SIMPLE DNA EXTRACTION USING BANANA
🔊 When will you stop adding an Isopropyl alcohol? If upon
observation there is a 1-2 inches thick of alcohol layer that will
form
🔊 Why is it important to form a 2 layers of the mixture? Ky
kung imix mo na karun indi mag saka nag DNA, we need a
clear layer in order to clearly visualize the DNA
9. After the alcohol layer is set up, wait for
eight minutes. You may see some bubbles
and cloudy material moving around in the
alcohol. This material is DNA clumping
together.
10. Use the stirrer/applicator stick to start poking the cloudy
stuff in the alcohol layer. Spin the stirrer it in place to start
gathering the cloudy stuff. When you are done, take a closer
look at the stuff on the stirrer.
Procedure was adopted from:
askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/banana-dna
☑Disposal
● Stirrer, used zip bag - Non biodegradable trash bin
● Applicator stick,
biodegradable trash bin
banana left-overs, gauze-
● Isopropyl alcohol- in a sink, start a water before
pouring the alcohol down the sink. Ideally, choose a
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 MLS 1: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC SIMPLE DNA EXTRACTION USING BANANA

sink in a room that is ventilated, avoid inhaling fumes dissolve in alcohol, so these steps help DNA

as you pour. Continue running water to flush alcohol
through the pipe.
☑ Discussion
● The purpose of mashing a banana is to break apart
cells and its cell wall. Apart from this, three more
solvent were added that aided in the extracting of DNA
as well as clumping them.
🔊
clumps form.
Why do we need it to be cold? So the reason that as you
observe oils, very cold alcohol or very cold solutions tends to
help in the clumping of a certain material and it has a same
principle when using a cold solution it is easier for it to clump
and form into something like balls, clumps and stamps.

1. Salt water- the bananas were mixed together

with a solution of saltwater. This is a special
step preparing for the addition of the dissh
soap. Once the dish soap is added to the
solution, this salt will help the DNA strand to
stick to each other in clumps large enough to
see.
🔊 Post Lab discussion.
What is the purpose of manual mashing the banana? It is done
to break apart cells and its cell walls. Three solvents have
been added in extracting the DNA. First, salt is needed to
prepare the DNA before the addition of the dish soap. The
purpose of adding dish soap is to break the cells, and the salt
will help the released DNA to stick to each other forming a
clump.

Detergent and dish soap could break apart lipids, the cell has
2. Dishwasher soap- can break apart a type of
a phospholipid bilayer, and in order to break down the lipid
molecule that is called lipids. It cuts through the
containing layer, the dish soap is needed. Once the lipid layer
grease as it actually breaks the phospholipid
has been broken down, the DNA will be released. And for
lipid layer. So when the dish washing soap is
alcohol, DNA is insoluble in alcohol, which means the DNA in
added, the cell membrane and the nuclei are
alcohol will clump to each other until it will be visible on the
broken apart, releasing DNA.
naked eye.
3. Alcohol- DNA clumps are soluble in some
liquids, but not in alcohol. So adding alcohol
helps the clumps of DNA form. DNA doesn’t

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