TUTORIAL 4: POST-TUTORIAL ASSIGNMENT

1. a) Complete the table below. What amino acid positions have differences between tasters
and non-tasters? What are the amino acids present at those positions for tasters and
non-tasters? What nucleotide changes are responsible for the amino acid differences
between Homo sapiens tasters and non-tasters? At which nucleotide positions in the
codon and in the DNA sequence do these changes occur? (9 marks) (hints: refer to the
codon table in your tutorial manual; how many nucleotides are in an amino acid codon?)

Nucleotide
Amino Acid Nucleotide Change Nucleotide
Position # in
Position # Taster Non-taster from taster to Position #
Codon (e.g.,
in Protein Amino Acid Amino Acid non-taster (e.g., in DNA
1, 2, or 3)
Sequence Adenine to Thymine) Sequence
()

49 Proleine Alanine cytosine (C) to guanine (G) 1 145

from cytosine (C) to

262 Alanine Valine thymine (T) 2 785

from guanine (G) to

296 Valine Isoleucine adenine 1 886

1. b) Which type(s) of point mutations are occurring between tasters and non-tasters? (1 mark)

Missense

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2. The amino acid sequence seen below is from a Gorilla gorilla (Western Lowland Gorilla).
Make a prediction as to whether this primate is a PTC taster, or a non-taster and justify your
answer. (2 marks)
1 mltltrirtv syevrstflf isvlefavgf ltnafvflvn fwdvvkrqpl snsdcvllcl
61 sisrlflhgl lflsaiqlth fqklseplnh syqaiimlwm ianqanlwla aclsllycsk
121 lirfshtfli claswvsrki sqmllgiilc scictvlcvw cffsrphftv ttvlfmnnnt
181 rlnwqikdln lfysflfcyl wsvppfllfl vssgmltvsl grhmrtmkvy irdsrdpsle
241 ahikalkslv sffcffviss caafisvpll ilwrdkigvm vcvgimaacp sghaavlisg
301 naklrravtt illwaqsslk vranhkadsr tpc

Gorilla is a ptc taster as it doesn’t have any of the mutations and it matches the same amino
acid sequences as PTC Tasters.

3. Humans and chimpanzees derived the loss of PTC tasting trait via convergent evolution.
Examine the first several nucleotides of the sequences below of a non-taster human and
non-taster chimpanzee. How do these sequences support the claim that the loss of trait was
derived via convergent evolution? (2 marks)

Homo sapiens 1 ATGTTGACTCTAACTCGCATCCGCACTGTGTCCTAT

Pan troglodytes 1 AGGTTGACTCTAACTCGCATCCGCACTGTGTCCTAT

The independent emergence of comparable characteristics or traits in several species or

lineages is referred to as convergent evolution.

The initial codon (ATG or AGG), which denotes the beginning of translation (methionine in this
instance), contains the pertinent information in this instance. While the remainder of the
sequence is unknown, the similarity observed in the beginning codon raises the possibility of
convergent evolution for the genes implicated in the loss of the PTC (phenylthiocarbamide)
taste characteristic.

The initial similarity of the sequences in both species suggests that the genetic alterations that
resulted in the extinction of the PTC taste feature happened separately during the evolutionary
histories of chimpanzees and humans. Although the two species vary genetically generally, they

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independently discovered identical genetic alterations in this particular location linked to the
loss of the PTC taste feature, confirming the theory that mutations occurred later on and
differences occurred differently –> convergent evolution

4. Follow the instructions in the tutorial manual to perform a nucleotide BLAST using the Homo
sapiens PTC taster allele sequence shown below.
>AY258597.1 Homo sapiens PTC bitter taste receptor (PTC) gene, PTC-taster
allele, complete cds
ATGTTGACTCTAACTCGCATCCGCACTGTGTCCTATGAAGTCAGGAGTACATTTCTGTTCATTTCAGTCC
TGGAGTTTGCAGTGGGGTTTCTGACCAATGCCTTCGTTTTCTTGGTGAATTTTTGGGATGTAGTGAAGAG
GCAGCCACTGAGCAACAGTGATTGTGTGCTGCTGTGTCTCAGCATCAGCCGGCTTTTCCTGCATGGACTG
CTGTTCCTGAGTGCTATCCAGCTTACCCACTTCCAGAAGTTGAGTGAACCACTGAACCACAGCTACCAAG
CCATCATCATGCTATGGATGATTGCAAACCAAGCCAACCTCTGGCTTGCTGCCTGCCTCAGCCTGCTTTA
CTGCTCCAAGCTCATCCGTTTCTCTCACACCTTCCTGATCTGCTTGGCAAGCTGGGTCTCCAGGAAGATC
TCCCAGATGCTCCTGGGTATTATTCTTTGCTCCTGCATCTGCACTGTCCTCTGTGTTTGGTGCTTTTTTA
GCAGACCTCACTTCACAGTCACAACTGTGCTATTCATGAATAACAATACAAGGCTCAACTGGCAGATTAA
AGATCTCAATTTATTTTATTCCTTTCTCTTCTGCTATCTGTGGTCTGTGCCTCCTTTCCTATTGTTTCTG
GTTTCTTCTGGGATGCTGACTGTCTCCCTGGGAAGGCACATGAGGACAATGAAGGTCTATACCAGAAACT
CTCGTGACCCCAGCCTGGAGGCCCACATTAAAGCCCTCAAGTCTCTTGTCTCCTTTTTCTGCTTCTTTGT
GATATCATCCTGTGCTGCCTTCATCTCTGTGCCCCTACTGATTCTGTGGCGCGACAAAATAGGGGTGATG
GTTTGTGTTGGGATAATGGCAGCTTGTCCCTCTGGGCATGCAGCCGTCCTGATCTCAGGCAATGCCAAGT
TGAGGAGAGCTGTGATGACCATTCTGCTCTGGGCTCAGAGCAGCCTGAAGGTAAGAGCCGACCACAAGGC
AGATTCCCGGACACTGTGCTGA

a) Include a screenshot of the alignment of the Homo sapiens PTC taster allele sequence with
the Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) PTC taster nucleotide sequence with the highest total

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score. (1 mark)

b) What is the percent difference between the Homo sapiens and Pan troglodyte nucleotide
sequences? Show your calculation. (2 marks)

(# of differences/ sequence length ) *100

Identities → 996/1002=99.4%

Percent difference= 6/1002 = 0.00598802395 * 100

= 0.598802395

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 Grade: /16