My trip to the Genetics Division of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) was an eye-opening experience for me, especially because it is similar to the field I hope to be working in some day (molecular and cell biology). This career is extremely competitive, with only the Ph.D.s being able to do their own research without supervision. Most who work in this division with their own projects, however, are in a master’s or Ph.D. program. Others, such as Emily Mork, have their bachelor’s in biology and work as lab technicians.

The Zoo InternQuest interns were able to do a gel electrophoresis of California condor DNA with Mrs. Mork. In electrophoresis, there is a plate with agar gel in it. The gel contains little holes called wells where you place DNA fragments. You hook up a positive and negative electrode to each side, with the negative DNA moving towards the positive electrode. The smallest fragments travel fastest, and in this way doing electrophoresis helps to separate pieces of DNA. In our case, we put in the DNA of different baby condors to figure out their sex. Condor sex cannot be determined by a visual inspection, but only by surgery or genetic analysis. Genetic analysis is definitely better for the animal and relatively easy to do.

I was surprised by how much work is done by machines in the lab, especially in analyzing DNA. It makes sense, though, considering that DNA is so small. In order to study genes, they must be extracted from a sample, whether that be hair, blood, or even feces. They use alcohol or another liquid to separate the DNA from all other molecules. We were able to see condor DNA in this stage; it looked a lot like a bunch of strings suspended in liquid. Once that is done, they amplify certain fragments of the genome using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR uses high heat to unwind DNA and uses enzymes to reproduce it. Once that is done, it can be analyzed in the genetic analyzer machine. The machine can be used to sequence base pairs or to find the length in base pairs. It sucks the DNA from a container into a tiny glass tube and through UV light. It analyzes the markers on the DNA and in that way can count the number of base pairs. This is important in determining the species, because you can compare the DNA sequence of the unknown individual against known sequences. This can also help in paternity testing, where you compare a baby’s genes against that of its possible fathers.

Dr. Oliver Ryder, head of the Genetics Division, spoke with the interns about cloning. He stated that the thought process that goes into deciding when to clone is quite complex. Cloning requires the nucleus of one individual and the egg of another. The nucleus of the egg is replaced by the nucleus of the cloned individual, so it takes more than DNA to clone an animal. Unfortunately, to get an intact nucleus you must have a live animal, one that recently died, or preserved cells from the Frozen Zoo®. This rules out cloning extinct animals that are preserved in museums because we don’t have a good egg or intact nucleus. You can’t just clone one hundred of the same animal and save a species, because that would not preserve genetic variety, which is important in preventing genetic disorders. You have to be selective about it. Much to our surprise, cloned animals are not always exactly like the parent either. We saw a slide of CC, a cloned cat, and her nucleus donor side by side and they looked very different. The fur coloring and patterns are based on the inactivation of chromosomes, which occurs during fetal development. The trigger mechanisms are unknown to science. The outcome, however, was a kitten with a very different physical appearance from its donor clone.

Meeting with the Genetics Division staff was inspiring to me. They are very passionate about their research. With all this technology, many times there is still nothing we can do. Many times, we humans are doing too little, too late. I hope that in the future most people can be more proactive about saving species as the Zoo is trying to be today.

Contributed by Erin- Zoo InternQuest Careers Team

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