This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison.
Homology for the Gene
What is homology?
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Figure 1. Concept of homology among organisms like turtles, dolphins, humans, horses, and birds. Homology image
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Model organisms
for the homo sapiens microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), transcript variant 3 gene
Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus)
Mouse (Mus musculus)
Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Cat (Felis catus)
Cow (Bos tauraus)
Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)
Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
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Discussion
There is great conservation of the MAPT gene between these organisms. Based on this, it is possible that the gene is very important to biological life. If the gene were not important, it would not be so highly conserved among such diverse species. There are no species of plants or invertebrates found as homologs for this particular gene. This is most likely because the protein made has an essential function in brain activity and neural function. In plants in particular, this is not necessarily beneficial, so the gene would not have arisen or been conserved through evolution. Interestingly, zebrafish was found to be a homolog for the Tau protein (seen on the Protein Homology page), but there was no record of the MAPT nucleotide sequence found through BLAST.
There is great conservation of the MAPT gene between these organisms. Based on this, it is possible that the gene is very important to biological life. If the gene were not important, it would not be so highly conserved among such diverse species. There are no species of plants or invertebrates found as homologs for this particular gene. This is most likely because the protein made has an essential function in brain activity and neural function. In plants in particular, this is not necessarily beneficial, so the gene would not have arisen or been conserved through evolution. Interestingly, zebrafish was found to be a homolog for the Tau protein (seen on the Protein Homology page), but there was no record of the MAPT nucleotide sequence found through BLAST.
Gene Ontology
What is Gene Ontology?
Gene Ontology (GO) attempts to categorize genes based on function in an organism. These functions are generally divided into three categories: biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions [9]. There are several databases used to determine the GO, including Gene Ontology Consortium, AMIGO, and QUICKGO. In these databases, inputting the gene name into a search generates the function of the gene, along with similar genes. The biological processes refer to the gene's role in the function of living units (like cells, tissues, organs, organisms). Cellular components are the parts of a cell or the cell's environment where the gene is located. Molecular function refers to the basic function of the gene product (the protein), whether it is involved with binding, catalysis, or reduction.
Gene Ontology (GO) attempts to categorize genes based on function in an organism. These functions are generally divided into three categories: biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions [9]. There are several databases used to determine the GO, including Gene Ontology Consortium, AMIGO, and QUICKGO. In these databases, inputting the gene name into a search generates the function of the gene, along with similar genes. The biological processes refer to the gene's role in the function of living units (like cells, tissues, organs, organisms). Cellular components are the parts of a cell or the cell's environment where the gene is located. Molecular function refers to the basic function of the gene product (the protein), whether it is involved with binding, catalysis, or reduction.
MAPT Gene Ontology
Biological processes
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Cellular Components
Molecular Functions
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A UniProt generated chart depicting the processes involved with the MAPT gene. This chart is based on the Mus musculus species.
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Programs such as UniProt, GO, AMIGO, and QUICK GO look at various organisms and the gene of interest. They then generate a chart showing the regulation and connections between these genes, the proteins, and organism functions. As shown by the different colored arrows, different proteins regulate different parts of the cell in different ways.
In the case of MAPT, a chart was created and shown here. There is clear regulation of processes like microtubule binding, cytoskeleton binding, and protein binding. This makes sense considering what MAPT is known to affect. Affecting microtubule binding is a cascading effect that influences many parts of the cell. Uniprot logo Image credit
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Discussion
After finding the GO terms associated with MAPT, it is apparent that MAPT is associated with microtubule formation and function. This makes sense based on the name of the gene, microtubule-associated protein tau. There are important functions of microtubules including cell movement, differentiation, and micro-molecule movement.
After finding the GO terms associated with MAPT, it is apparent that MAPT is associated with microtubule formation and function. This makes sense based on the name of the gene, microtubule-associated protein tau. There are important functions of microtubules including cell movement, differentiation, and micro-molecule movement.
Image references:
[1] Guinea pig
[2] Mouse
[3] Rat
[4] Cat
[5] Cow
[6] Rhesus Macaque
[7] Gorilla gorilla gorilla
[8] Common chimpanzee
[9] Encyclopedia Britannica. Homology. Retrieved March 13, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/270557/homology
[10] Gene Ontology. (2013) Ontology Documentation. Retrieved March 12, 2015. http://geneontology.org/page/ontology-documentation
[1] Guinea pig
[2] Mouse
[3] Rat
[4] Cat
[5] Cow
[6] Rhesus Macaque
[7] Gorilla gorilla gorilla
[8] Common chimpanzee
[9] Encyclopedia Britannica. Homology. Retrieved March 13, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/270557/homology
[10] Gene Ontology. (2013) Ontology Documentation. Retrieved March 12, 2015. http://geneontology.org/page/ontology-documentation
Site built by Kassandra Ford
Genetics 564, Spring 2015
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Site last updated: 5/13/2015
Genetics 564, Spring 2015
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Site last updated: 5/13/2015