| Hemoglobin...Its DNA | ||
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SECTION 1
Introduction SECTION 2 SECTION 3 HGP SECTION 4
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Here's
an example.
A search for human beta-hemoglobin (one of the proteins that makes hemoglobin) yields the following result for the DNA sequence. Its 576 base pairs long. Scientists have given the tools they use some rather interesting names. The search tool is called Ndjinn ATGGTGCACCTGACTCCTGAGGAGAAGTCTGCGGTTACTGCCCTGTGGGGCAAGGTGAACGTGGATGAAG TTGGTGGTGAGGCCCTGGGCAGGCTGCTGGTGGTCTACCCTTGGACCCAGAGGTTCTTTGAGTCCTTTGG GGATCTGTCCACTCCTGATGCAGTTATGGGCAACCCTAAGGTGAAGGCTCATGGCAAGAAAGTGCTCGGT GCCTTTAGTGATGGCCTGGCTCACCTGGACAACCTCAAGGGCACCTTTGCCACACTGAGTGAGCTGCACT GTGACAAGCTGCACGTGGATCCTGAGAACTTCAGGCTCCTGGGCAACGTGCTGGTCTGTGTGCTGGCCCA TCACTTTGGCAAAGAATTCACCCCACCAGTGCAGGCTGCCTATCAGAAAGTGGTGGCTGGTGTGGCTAAT GCCCTGGCCCACAAGTATCACTAAGCTCGCTTTCTTGCTGTCCAATTTCTATTAAAGGTTCCTTTGTTCC CTAAGTCCAACTACTAAACTGGGGGATATTATGAAGGGCCTTGAGCATCTGGATTCTGCCTAATAAAAAA CATTTATTTTCATTGC I then asked the computer to search all of the primate databases for sequences that are similar to ours. For this I used the BLASTN tool. I was interested in the DNA for sickle cell anemia. Here's the sequence I found. ATGGTGCACCTGACTCCTGTGGAGAAGTCYGCNGTTACTGCNYTNTGGGGCAAGGTGAACGTGGATGAAG Can you see the difference? The computer can find the differences much more efficiently. Its called a CLUSTALW. 29436 is the normal beta-hemoglobin. 183944 is the sickle cell beta-hemoglobin.
Now it is easy to see where the differences exist in the DNA. |
