TITLE:
Activin Gene in Avian Species: A Case Study
AUTHORS:
Chinyere Mary-Cynthia Ikele, Ifeanyi Solomon Ahamba, Marvin Egom, Christian Uchechukwu Ekugba, Chukwuebuka Edwin Awaogu
KEYWORDS:
Activin, Avians, Phylogenetics, Bioinformatics
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.13 No.4,
October
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: Among the avian species, understanding the roles of
activin happen to be a dominant challenge in genetic evolution due to its
complexity in nature. A case study of the activin gene in avian species was carried out using
bioinformatics. As a sedentary bird, guinea fowl is more susceptible to local
selection processes and needs a proper
genetic study for conservation. The present study provides the basis for
the use of activin or its target genes for the improvement of impaired wound
healing, and activin antagonists for the prevention and treatment of fibrosis
and the end of malignant tumors that over-express activin. The information provided
will serve as a basic tool for broader genetic diversity studies to identify
valuable poultry genetic resources and major genes for the development of
breeding programs. This study was done by retrieving hundred (100) nucleotides
and amino acid sequences of the activin gene belonging to guinea fowl and other
avians from the GeneBank, aligning the sequences using BlastP determined the
percent identity and phylogenetic relationship of the activin gene of guinea
fowl and other avians. The shortest activin nucleotide sequence (467 bp) was
observed in chicken and the longest (39896445 bp) in duck. Using the comparative sequence
analysis, it was observed that the activin gene of chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl shared percent identity ranging
from 91% to 95%. The percent identity reflects the degree of relatedness of species. Although closely
related (90%) in ancestral line, the activin gene of guinea fowl and quail
cannot be compared with guinea fowl-turkey (95%) nor guinea fowl-chicken (90%),
in both biological functions and evolutionary relationship. Finally, the
percent identity and similarity in function of the activin gene of guinea fowl, turkey, and chicken
were in the range of 93% - 100%, indicating that the activin gene of avians possesses similar functions,
well conserved and is very effective in performing functions like
increasing FSH bindings, FSH-induced aromatization, improves wound healing and
enhances scar formation, regulates morphogenesis of branching organs, and enhances ovarian folliculogenesis. The study, therefore, recommends
farmers select and breed for activin genes in order to promote
reproductive efficiency, thereby barricading species extinction.