Euglena Cell Observations
Experiment 1: Quantitative assessment of Some Cellular Constituents
Summary: Euglena gracilis are unicellular organisms in the Protist Kingdom. They are known to have both plant and animal characteristics. Although, Euglena cells contain a variety of cellular constituents, their cellular constituents should be presented in equal ratio. The objective of this experiment is to determine Euglena’s cellular components in cells and then to establish their cellular constituents by comparing the experimental results to the expected concentrations given on pg 10 of the lab manual. Concentration of cells in stock culture used for extraction =9.0×105 cells/ml Total number of cells used for extraction = 4.05 × 107 cells …show more content…
From this experiment, I found that the ratios of chlorophyll: carotenoids: DNA: RNA: protein in Euglena cells were 1.000: 0.198: 4.254: 1.950: 37.017, respectively. The standard ratios of chlorophyll: carotenoids: DNA: RNA: protein are 1.00: 0.60: 5.00: 38.00: 446.00, respectively. By comparing the results, one will agree that the experimental order of abundance of each component is similar to that of the standards’, with the exception of RNA. Other than that the outcome of the experiment was pretty much consistence with my prediction. RNA is the by-product of DNA transcription and is central to the synthesis of protein. In principle and as shown by the standard ratio, RNA is suppose to be roughly 8 times more abundance than DNA. However, what I obtained, the ratio of RNA: DNA is only 1.950: 4.254, respectively. A few possible explanations might be that RNA sample was not prepared correctly during the Orrcinol reaction procedure or that the absorbance of the RNA concentrations wasn’t taken properly, leading to a lower value. Another possibility might be that the RNA sample was left at room temperature for too long before the start of the procedure and so some RNA
Summary: Euglena gracilis are unicellular organisms in the Protist Kingdom. They are known to have both plant and animal characteristics. Although, Euglena cells contain a variety of cellular constituents, their cellular constituents should be presented in equal ratio. The objective of this experiment is to determine Euglena’s cellular components in cells and then to establish their cellular constituents by comparing the experimental results to the expected concentrations given on pg 10 of the lab manual. Concentration of cells in stock culture used for extraction =9.0×105 cells/ml Total number of cells used for extraction = 4.05 × 107 cells …show more content…
From this experiment, I found that the ratios of chlorophyll: carotenoids: DNA: RNA: protein in Euglena cells were 1.000: 0.198: 4.254: 1.950: 37.017, respectively. The standard ratios of chlorophyll: carotenoids: DNA: RNA: protein are 1.00: 0.60: 5.00: 38.00: 446.00, respectively. By comparing the results, one will agree that the experimental order of abundance of each component is similar to that of the standards’, with the exception of RNA. Other than that the outcome of the experiment was pretty much consistence with my prediction. RNA is the by-product of DNA transcription and is central to the synthesis of protein. In principle and as shown by the standard ratio, RNA is suppose to be roughly 8 times more abundance than DNA. However, what I obtained, the ratio of RNA: DNA is only 1.950: 4.254, respectively. A few possible explanations might be that RNA sample was not prepared correctly during the Orrcinol reaction procedure or that the absorbance of the RNA concentrations wasn’t taken properly, leading to a lower value. Another possibility might be that the RNA sample was left at room temperature for too long before the start of the procedure and so some RNA