What is homology?
Homologous proteins are protein sequences with a common evolutionary background. These can all be traced back to a common ancestor. Homologous proteins and genes have similar features, gene ontologies, and functions due to their common ancestry. This can be useful in research because using model organisms with homologous genes to humans can allow us to infer what the function of a gene is in humans, along with how various drugs work with the gene.
Homologs of SCN1A
Homo sapiens (humans)
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Mus musculus (mouse)
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Rattus Norvegicus (rat)
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Danio rerio (zebrafish)
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Discussion
Using BLAST from NCBI along with FASTA data, it is revealed that SCN1A is highly conserved across multiple species. Above, I listed species with homologs that have different levels of percent identity. A higher percent identity means that it is more likely that the function is also conserved across species. In migraine studies, mouse is most commonly used due to their relatedness to humans and similar brain function and electrophysiology.
About this website
This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at UW-Madison
Joely Swanson, [email protected]
Last updated April 9th, 2024
Genetics 564 website
Joely Swanson, [email protected]
Last updated April 9th, 2024
Genetics 564 website