Gene Expression Unit: Use sequencing to unveil a gene linked to obesity

In this simulation, you will perform a Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) experiment from a mRNA sample. You will learn all the important steps of this high-tech molecular biology procedure. Immersive 3D animations will show what is happening at the molecular level inside the NGS machine. Finally, you will learn how to analyze the sequencing data produced. This will give you an understanding of how mRNA relates to the gene expression levels and how this can affect, in the present example, obesity.

After identifying a candidate gene involved in obesity, a quantitative PCR (qPCR) experiment will be performed to validate your results. You will prepare the qPCR and obtain the amplification and melting curves.

You can find the relevant topics approached in this simulation in the following sections:

• Gene Expression

• Obesity and genes

• Next Generation Sequencing

• NGS Experiment

• NGS Data Analysis

• RT-qPCR