Pedagogical research in science education has shown that students effectively learn science by doing science. As a result, there is increased interest in bringing research-like experiences into the classroom, particularly for laboratory courses. This lesson describes a structured inquiry laboratory module focused on the examination of muscle cell differentiation. Muscle differentiation is a complex process that provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to explore various aspects of cell biology in the laboratory. The students engage in a project spanning eight weeks in which they utilize three complementary techniques (including fluorescence microscopy, Western blotting, and reverse transcriptase-based polymerase chain reaction) to examine the morphological and genetic changes that occur during muscle cell differentiation in culture. The instructor assesses students on the quality of their laboratory notebooks, including how thoroughly they document each experiment, as well as on their participation in discussions regarding experimental design, techniques, and results. Ultimately, students compile their work into an individually written research report, the format of which parallels typical journal articles published in the field of cell biology. The design of this module allows students to explore fundamental cell biology concepts while learning key experimental techniques. In addition, the instructor teaches this module in a structured inquiry-based manner to engage students in learning through investigation and discovery.

Primary Image: Myogenin and desmin expression in C2C12 myotubes. Visualized by immunofluorescence for myogenin, a muscle-specific regulatory transcription factor (green) and desmin, a muscle-specific cytoskeletal intermediate filament protein (red). 400X total magnification.