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Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5): 600-608.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.24-217

• Genetics Teaching • Previous Articles    

Design and exploration of integrating bioinformatic analysis into comprehensive and exploratory epigenetic experiments

Sainan An1(), Huanchun Yang2, Shan Jiang3, Jingxuan Li2, Genfa Zhang2()   

  1. 1. Platform for Experiment Teaching, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China
    2. Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China
    3. College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China
  • Received:2024-07-26 Revised:2024-11-17 Online:2024-12-16 Published:2024-12-16
  • Contact: Genfa Zhang E-mail:ansn@bnu.edu.cn;gfzh@bnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Teaching Construction and Reform Project of Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai(jx2023037);Teaching Construction and Reform Project of Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai(jx2024125)

Abstract:

As the most thoroughly studied epigenetic modification, DNA methylation-induced silencing of suppressor genes is closely related with the development of cancers. Bioinformatic analysis is an important research tool in the fields of life sciences, medicine, and so on. To introduce the application of bioinformatic analysis in cancer epigenetic research to students and to change the current situation that students usually passively perform experiments during the experimental teaching of genetics, we established a comprehensive and exploratory epigenetic experiment which was integrated with bioinformatic analysis. The implement of this experiment followed the principles of centering on students and cultivating scientific research capabilities. Students selected the genes that were potentially silenced by high DNA methylation in lung adenocarcinoma through bioinformatic analysis and literature review under the guidance of teachers and formulated experimental scheme by their own. They then conducted real-time PCR and methylation-specific PCR to explore whether DNA methylation caused the expression silencing of genes of interest and to identify the DNA methyltransferase responsible for the methylation of genes of interest. To comprehensively assess the capability of students, we designed diversified evaluation methods which intensify the assessment of experiment process. This experiment has the characteristics of interdisciplinarity, comprehensiveness, and inquiry, which can help to cultivate the scientific thinking and practical ability of students.

Key words: DNA methylation, epigenetic, genetics, experiment teaching, comprehensive and exploratory experiment