This document is a worksheet for Johnson & Wales University’s Introduction to Life Science (SCI 1015) course, designed to connect DNA sequences to potential disease states. It’s a hands-on exercise for students to practice bioinformatics techniques and explore the relationship between genetic code and health.
This assignment is typically used after students have been introduced to the central dogma of molecular biology – the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein – and are beginning to explore the consequences of genetic variation. It serves to reinforce understanding of these concepts through practical application.
This worksheet does *not* provide a comprehensive overview of genetics or disease. It requires students to actively engage with online databases and apply learned concepts. Students will still need a strong understanding of molecular biology principles and access to the internet to complete the assignment.
This document provides: a DNA sequence for analysis, instructions for converting DNA to mRNA and codons, an amino acid translation chart, a link to the NCBI BLAST database, and a guided pathway to identify a disease potentially linked to the encoded protein. It also includes a sample disease description as a model for student responses. This preview does *not* include the student’s specific DNA sequence, the completed amino acid sequence, BLAST results, or the student’s written paragraph explaining the disease.