Conserved sequence

Evolution of FOXP2 in Humans In order to better understand the mechanism that resulted in the exon 7 amino acid substitution in humans and no other species, researchers compared the rate of protein sequence evolution in humans compared to that of chimpanzees. By obtaining protein sequences from different species and aligning them, using a rate analysis and computer simulations, they found that protein evolution rate in humans, compared to that of other primates, was significantly higher in human…

proteins, chains of amino acids, are also called polypeptides. Proteins’ structures have four levels of organization. The primary structure consists of amino acid sequences, which determine the structures and functions of the proteins. Amino acid sequence for each distinct protein is different and for all molecules of the same proteins the sequence is the same. The secondary…

(Liao et al, 2011). The IL2RG gene is located on the chromosome X: 71,107,404-71,112,108 and the chromosome band is q13.1. The structure of the IL2RG-004 transcript contains 8 coding exons and 369 residues when translated (Flicek et al, 2014).The sequence of the translated protein is shown below: >ENST00000374202 peptide: ENSP00000363318…

The emergence of cytochrome oxidase is considered to be a very important event in evolutionary history. However, not much is known on the development and emergence of this enzyme. Molecular data demonstrates how cytochrome oxidase emerged before the divergence of archaea and bacteria, and well before the great oxidation event. This paper proposes a research plan to investigate the origins of cytochrome oxidase. Background Throughout the three domains of life, a variety of metabolisms are present…

Neutral community theory, also known as the unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography was set-forth in literature in 2001 by Stephen Hubbell however it draws largely upon pre-established, and widely accepted, ecological theories of island biogeography (MacArthur and Wilson, 1967). The original model proposed by MacArthur and Wilson was constructed to account for variation in the composition of birds found in different sized areas as well as their relative abundance and…

The importance of noncoding DNA sequences Since the completion of Human Genome Project in 2003, it was found that more than 98% of human genome is occupied by noncoding DNA sequences (Genome.gov, 2003), existing between genes and as introns within genes (Figure-1). In genomic, noncoding DNA regions are defined as the sequences of an organism’s DNA, which do not code for proteins. Although it has been known for decades that some of these sequences code for noncoding RNAs that…

when genes for formerly existing phenotypical features are conserved in DNA, and then these become expressed through a mutation that either knock out the overriding genes for the new traits or make the old traits override the new one. The Genes do not determine what the organism is, but with atavism, they can sometimes serve as reminders of our evolutionary past. However, there are disadvantages to atavism…

duplex is not ‘conserved’ as an entity. This was proved by the Meselson-Stahl experiment by replicating E.Coli in different mediums of of different Nitrogen isotopes. The results consisted of half of normal weight and half with intermediate weight, proving an immortal strand serving as an unchanging template. It’s bidirectional nature stems from the presence of a replication fork and bubble at the initiation and throughout replication. Replication begins at one consensus sequence (single…

proteins can develop independently which in turn can change the role of the protein. Domains are able to develop independently through certain mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms include gene recombination and the duplication of a domain coding sequence. The way in which a domain evolves and is able to rearrange itself can lead to miss folding at times and may be found responsible for human disease. Therefore, studying protein domains and their role can help develop a better understanding of…

FTO belongs to a member of Fe(II)- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent AlkB dioxygenase family and was originally recognized as an enzyme involved in the excision of N1- or N3-modified purine or primidine in both DNA and RNA substrates. Jia et al. for the first time demonstrated that human FTO could also demethylate m6A on nuclear RNAs in vitro, and increase and decrease in m6A was manifested in FTO-depleted and overexpressed-HeLa cell, respectively. FTO function has shown to link to the regulation of…