Looking at Premature Termination Codons in Mutations.

My main goal in looking at glossy genes was to determine why the premature termination codon allele is expressed higher in plants with a glossy mutation. To figure this out, I looked at DNA from maize plants that were heterozygous for the glossy mutation. Then, I would check the expression of the premature termination codon allele in these heterozygous plants and this could narrow down my options for why the premature termination codon alleles are expressed the way they are. To do this, I extracted DNA from both wildtype and mutant corn plants, and analyzed this DNA with PCR, gels, and a Lightcycler. However, the results from the Lightcycler reactions were not as expected. After much troubleshooting, I collected new DNA, in hopes that it would amplify better, but it still did not give expected results.