The results of protein purification and acetlytransferase activity experiments.

Lab Report 1 Assignment
In a format similar to scientific journal article, please write a report describing the results of your protein
purification and acetlytransferase activity experiments.
Format: 12 point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins (you can change the margin in Word by
clicking format-document or page layout) top, bottom and sides. The report should be no less than 9
pages and no more than 12 pages, excluding the appendix and references.
Organization:
• Cover Page: Title; Name
• Introduction: 2 complete page minimum/ 3 page maximum
• Materials and Methods: 2-3 page methods
• Results: 3-5 pages results
• Discussion: 1 complete page minimum/ 2 page maximum
• Appendix: Figures and Figure legends
• References: At least 4 references from peer-reviewed journals
Due dates:
• Introduction draft: October 10th
• First full draft: October 17th
• Final draft: October 31st
Grading policy:
• Lab report is worth 21 point
• Grading rubric is posted on NYUClasses under Resources>Lab report 1
• Failure to submit any drafts complete or on time will result in a 1 point deduction in the
overall score of the report for each day late or for completeness.
• Submit through Turnitin. I will accept by email if Turnitin gives you problems, but
report will still be submited through Turnitin. No hardcopies will be accepted.
• Plagiarism: Write your report in your own words.
If you are caught using another person’s writing, you will receive a zero for this
assignment. I discourage anyone from sharing their writing with their fellow students.
If someone else uses your writing, it may be difficult to attribute the original author of
the writing and both parties may receive zeros.
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Content guide:
Introduction (3 pts.): For this paper, focus your introduction on background information on our histone
acetyltransferase complex SAGA and its role in modifying chromatin. Why is SAGA important for
transcription? How does it accomplish its function? What roles do subunits play in the complex?
Explore the scientific literature for information. Use PubMed to search for scientific articles and
reviews. Include at least two relevant peer-reviewed references from the scientific literature. The focus
of this introduction is the SAGA complex. Do NOT only focus on the complex subunit your group is
analyzing. This will be the focus of Lab report 2. Of course, you will need to devote a few sentences to
your subunit to put the experiments contained in your report in context.
Objective (3 pts): As part of the introduction finish by stating the objectives of the report in the context
of the material just introduced.
Material and Methods (3pts): Provide a description of the experiments and reagents. Be sure to
provide details about the yeast strain, the composition of the medium and solutions and important
experimental parameters (e.g. time, temperature, frequencies, concentration). You can get the strain
information from the original paper describing the SPT7TAP strain. Remember you did the experiments
in the past, thus use past tense. Describe your work in complete sentences and in paragraphs. Divide
the different methodologies into sections with subheadings. As an example, review the Materials and
Methods in the paper on the SPT7TAP strain.
Results (3 pts): Describe your results in your own words. Divide your analyses into sections with
subheadings. For each section, start by giving a reason (rationale) for performing each of analyses
when beginning your description of each of your results (Why the experiment was performed). Describe
your results in the middle of each section (observations) and finish stating the implications of your
results (What your results mean). Refer to the figures in your appendix. There should be transition in
your writing when moving from one section (experiment) to the next. The reader should understand the
logical progression of your work.
Discussion (6 pts) In this section, discuss your conclusions and the significance of your results and
what is next. How do your results relate to the introduction? Discuss how your results relate to what is
known in the literature. Provide two additional references. Expand on the reason for focusing future
new experiments on the role of specific subunits and provide some possible experiments that could be
performed. Do not simply propose to repeat an experiment You can discuss how experiments in the
second part of the course will address possible roles for these specific subunits and/or explore the
literature for other possible experimental approaches. For any experiment you discuss, explain why you
chose it and how it would be performed.
References: Reference any information you obtain from the scientific literature. You should reference at
least four peer-reviewed sources in your paper. Wikipedia is not a peer reviewed source. Search PubMed
for information. Review articles are a great source for information. In Pubmed if you search for a certain
keyword and add review in the search, Pubmed will give you review articles related to that keyword.
Example reference: Utley, R. T., K. Ikeda, P. A. Grant, J. Cote, D. J. Steger, A. Eberharter, S. John, and J. L.
Workman. 1998. Transcriptional activators direct histone acetyltransferase complexes to nucleosomes. Nature
394:498–502.
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Appendix: Include figures of results along with legends (captions) describing the contents of the figure.
You will have more than one figure. Number each (eg. Fig. 1, Fig. 2). The images themselves should
have labels and the meanings of the labels should be described in the legend.
Writing quality (3pts): Use proper grammar, provide relevant information, and follow a logical
progression for a clear report.
Example lab report: An example lab report is posted in NYU Classes. The research subject is different.
The literature research is also deeper than expected for your report. However, the example report will
show you how to organize and summarize information in an undergraduate scientific lab report. The
relevant content in the example report are highlighted in the comments section. Carefully read the report
and the comments to study how to write a clear scientific report.