A comparative analysis of the hemoglobin beta gene across eight species: Homo sapiens (Human), Pan troglodytes (Chimpanzee), Bos taurus (Cattle), Mus musculus (Mouse), Rattus norvegicus (Rat), Gallus gallus (Chicken), Xenopus laevis (Frog), Danio rerio (Zebrafish).
This analysis was conducted as part of Module 2 of the BioinformHer Training Program to explore molecular evolution using bioinformatics tools and techniques.
By retrieving protein sequences, performing sequence alignments, and constructing a phylogenetic tree, this study aims to analyze and compare Hemoglobin Beta (HBB) protein sequences across vertebrates in order to uncover evolutionary relationships and functional conservation through sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis.
NCBI Database - Sequence retrieval
NCBI BLASTp and EMBOSS needle - Pairwise alignment
Clustal Omega - Multiple sequence alignment (MSA)
Skylign - Sequence logo generation
MEGAX Software - Phylogenetic tree construction.
The analysis of the HBB gene across eight vertebrate species revealed strong evolutionary conservation, particularly between humans and chimpanzees (100% identity), with decreasing similarity in more distantly related species like zebrafish (50% identity). Multiple sequence alignment and sequence logo analysis highlighted highly conserved regions and residues critical for hemoglobin function. The phylogenetic tree reflected expected evolutionary relationships, validating the use of HBB as a molecular marker for studying vertebrate evolution.
This project demonstrates the power of bioinformatics in studying molecular evolution. The strong conservation of HBB, especially among mammals, highlights its functional importance. Sequence alignment and phylogenetics provide critical insights into evolutionary biology.
The Bioinformher team