Final answer:
In this lab, each student team is setting up 3 PCR reactions if they are working with one mutant, which includes 2 assays for the mutant and 1 for the wild type. The total number of PCR reactions across all teams depends on the number of mutants being tested.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on the information provided, particularly from the section outlining the equipment/glassware needed and the binding assay setup, we can infer that each student team is setting up multiple PCR reactions. Specifically, it is mentioned that there are 6 PCR tubes and that each student should set up 2 assays per mutant and one assay using the wild type. Therefore, if each student team works with only one mutant, they would set up 3 PCR reactions: 2 for the mutant and 1 for the wild type.
Additionally, under the Procedures section, it is mentioned that the reagents and equipment needs are calculated per six student teams, with ~20% excess included. This suggests that the calculation for supplies takes into account the number of teams and the number of assays each team is performing. It's not explicit how many mutants each team is testing, but the passage about setting up 20 reaction tubes appears to be a separate example and not directly tied to the number of PCR reactions set up by the student teams in this specific lab.
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