Detecting and Isolating Common Strains of Polymorphic DNA from Various Species of Apsergillus
Stephanie Sermon, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY 40222 / Sponsor: Dr. Joanne Dobbins
Genomic similarities were studied in three different strains of Aspergillus. Genomic DNA was extracted from Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terrus. The DNA concentrations were then tested for quantity and purity using spectrographic methods. The calculations of these readings indicated proper dilutions of the purified DNA samples for random amplification of polymorphic DNA by by a polymerase chain reaction. The samples were then tested with six different dimer-primers for comparison to determine which primer works best with mold. The resulting DNA was tested on a 2% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Gel bands were measured and compared to a 100bp ladder. The results showed that primer number five, consisting of a high G-C content, gave the best results for comparing similarities and variations between the species. This goal of this research will be to put similar polymorphic bands of DNA on a microchip for identification and analysis purposes.