Activin Gene in Avian Species: A Case Study

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.