This webpage was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
What is homology?
Proteins are considered homologous if they have shared ancestry. This can be determined by comparing the protein or DNA sequence alignments for similarity. More similar sequences have a higher % identity. Given below are selected homologs of the human TSC2 protein (tuberin) in model organisms and other species, as determined using the BLAST alignment tool. [1]
Header: Bonobo tuberin shares 98% identity with human tuberin
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Discussion
Studying homology of the tuberin protein is essential because it allows us to select appropriate model organisms. This will allow useful experiments to be performed to learn about tuberin structure and function. Additionally, simple comparisons between the TSC2 gene sequence in humans and its homologs may allow inferences to be made about what areas are critical for function because these areas would more likely be evolutionary conserved. This information could be used to draw conclusions about the pathogenicity of mutations in the TSC2 gene of human patients. Furthermore, it may be of interest to use homologous sequences to draw conclusions about what intronic mutations are likely to be pathogenic, which is a largely unexplored area regarding TSC2 mutations.
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References
[1] Zheng Zhang, Scott Schwartz, Lukas Wagner, and Webb Miller (2000), "A greedy algorithm for aligning DNA sequences", J Comput Biol 2000; 7(1-2):203-14.
Image references
Header: http://kingofwallpapers.com/bonobo/bonobo-006.jpg
Human: http://www.freeiconspng.com/free-images/baby-png-27900
Mouse: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/images/content/mouse.jpg
Rat: http://www.pngmart.com/image/19970
Zebrafish: http://www.knudra.com/services/get-started/
Tropical clawed frog: https://www.enasco.com/product/LM00823MX
Fruit fly: https://wellgenetics.com/genomeediting.html
c. elegan: http://www.knudra.com/services/get-started/
e. coli: http://www.evo-ed.com/Images/Ecoli/ecoli.png
Bonobo: http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/bonobo/
Naked mole rat: https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/4g8bpj/battle_208_naked_mole_rat_via_previous_winner_i/?st=iyq80cl3&sh=6eb8a0de
Chimpanzee: http://www.delmarpediatricspllc.com/delmar-pediatrics-newborn-information
[1] Zheng Zhang, Scott Schwartz, Lukas Wagner, and Webb Miller (2000), "A greedy algorithm for aligning DNA sequences", J Comput Biol 2000; 7(1-2):203-14.
Image references
Header: http://kingofwallpapers.com/bonobo/bonobo-006.jpg
Human: http://www.freeiconspng.com/free-images/baby-png-27900
Mouse: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/images/content/mouse.jpg
Rat: http://www.pngmart.com/image/19970
Zebrafish: http://www.knudra.com/services/get-started/
Tropical clawed frog: https://www.enasco.com/product/LM00823MX
Fruit fly: https://wellgenetics.com/genomeediting.html
c. elegan: http://www.knudra.com/services/get-started/
e. coli: http://www.evo-ed.com/Images/Ecoli/ecoli.png
Bonobo: http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/bonobo/
Naked mole rat: https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/4g8bpj/battle_208_naked_mole_rat_via_previous_winner_i/?st=iyq80cl3&sh=6eb8a0de
Chimpanzee: http://www.delmarpediatricspllc.com/delmar-pediatrics-newborn-information