Detecting Green Fluorescent Protein Denaturation with Household Chemicals Using a UV Light Pen: A Pilot Experiment for High School Curricula

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has become increasingly useful in both research and educational settings because of its ease of detection. Previously we were successful in monitoring GFP denaturation in a low tech and cost efficient manner using a UV light pen (Bio‐Rad ®). In order to make this project more accessible to high school students, we sought to find household chemicals that would denature GFP to use in place of lab grade chemicals. We surveyed several household chemicals such as bleach, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and others in order to develop a list of those reagents that would efficiently denature GFP as determined through visual inspection using the UV light pen. We then performed a pilot study at Cleveland High School in Cleveland, TN in a Biology I class. Student response was positive; they expressed interest in the experiment and would recommend it to other high school classes. Having just been introduced to the concepts of transcription and translation, the students expressed appreciation for an experiment that expanded upon a subject they were learning at the time. These results indicate the effectiveness of this low‐tech, low‐cost procedure in teaching protein folding to high school students.