Scientific explanations of the procedure

DNA is found inside the nucleus of eukaryotic cells surrounded by proteins

that hold it together and compact. To be able to isolate and observe it, the
plasma membrane and nuclear envelope must be undone, and the
denaturation of the proteins is also required.

- Banana Crushing: Increasing the surface area of the banana helps make
the membrane surface easier to dissolve and also allows for more
effective absorption of heat and solutions to be added.

- Detergent: Cell membranes are made up of two lipid layers with

transmembrane proteins across them. The detergent helps to break down
the phospholipid bilayer of plasma membranes and the nuclear envelope.
Membrane lipids are broken down by the detergent that breaks down the
bonds that hold the membrane together. When the detergent comes into
contact with the lipids, they separate from the membrane, breaking it.
The structure of lipids is similar to that of detergent and this causes them
to combine, forming a bubble of detergent and lipids.

- Filtration: This step allows us to separate the remains of the banana

tissues and the cells that we have broken in the previous steps. We are
not interested in this material and it will be retained in the strainer (the
largest remains) or in the filter (smaller remains). The filtrate we get is the
one that contains the free DNA of the nuclear membrane.
- Alcohol: DNA is a polar molecule, but the reaction with ethanol makes it
insoluble in ethanol, forming a precipitate just between the layer with
liquid ethanol and the layer with the extract. The DNA is the only
component of the solution that is not soluble in ethanol, and it becomes
visible because the different chains agglutinate each other when
precipitating due to the action of physical forces. The alcohol is less dense
than the water in the extract and therefore floats on top of the extract
layer.
- Salt: The DNA molecule is soluble in water and therefore invisible, but if
DNA that has been in a salty medium is brought into contact with alcohol,
the DNA becomes insoluble and precipitates. Therefore, salt water helps
precipitation in alcohol. Salt also helps separate DNA from histones.

Materials
- Strainer and filter
- glasses or tubes
- Detergent

- Water

- Salt

- Ethyl Chlorine 96%

- Spoon

- Banana

Every living organism is made up of the widely studied and well-known

DNA molecule. We know that living organisms come from a single
ancestral cell called LUCA. This fact tells us that among living organisms we
share much more than we could sometimes imagine. For example,
humans share 50% of their DNA with the banana. However, the
percentage of DNA that we share depends on how it is measured. If we
measure identical base pair sequences then it is quite low, but if we look at
genes with identical or similar functions then it is indeed 50%. Some of the
things these genes code for are basic biochemistry: DNA replication,
transcription, translation, DNA metabolism (recombination, repair), cell
metabolism (catabolism and anabolism), and regulation of metabolism.
cell cycle (mitosis). These types of genes are named by biologists as
“conserved sequences”
 Procedure
1. Crushing the banana: Cut a small piece of the banana, with the help
of a spoon, fork or mixer we will crush the piece that we cut.

2. Detergent + Salt + banana: Let's pour a little water into the banana
and mix to be able to pour a little detergent, then we mix it, then we
will put a little salt to mix again.

3. DNA separation: to separate the DNA we must pass our sample to a

strainer, to separate the mass from the liquid, then we will put the
liquid in a tube.

4. Observation of the DNA: Very slowly pour the alcohol into the test
tube with the solution. In a few seconds we will be able to observe
three different layers. On top of everything will be the alcohol, below
will be the cellular remains (membranes, organelles) of the banana
and the other components of the solution and at the interface we will
observe a kind of white threads surrounded by bubbles, That's the
DNA.