An Evolutionary Relationship Between Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) Protein Sequences Involved in Fatty Acid Metabolism

Background: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a key enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in fat biosynthesis. Despite being crucial for interpreting SCDs’ roles across species, the evolutionary relationship of SCD proteins across species has yet to be elucidated. This study aims to present this evolutionary relationship based on amino acid sequences. Methods: Using Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) and phylogenetic construction methods, a hypothetical evolutionary relationship was generated between the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) protein sequences between ۱۸ different species. Results: SCD protein sequences from Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee), and Pongo abelii (orangutan) have the lowest genetic distances of ۰.۰۰۶ of the ۱۸ species studied. Capra hircus (goat) and Ovis aries (Sheep) had the next lowest genetic distance of ۰.۰۲۳. These farm animals are ۹۹.۹۸۷% identical at the amino acid level. Conclusions: The SCD proteins are conserved in these ۱۸ species, and their evolutionary relationships are similar.

Keywords:

Multiple sequence alignment , Phylogenetic analysis , Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) proteins