Question

Explain how comparing proteins of two species can yield data about the species’ evolutionary relationship.

Short answer

Proteins are the products produced by the transcription and translation of genetic material, DNA. The amino acids are the units of proteins, and these blocks are coded by the sequences of nucleotides in the DNA.

While studying the proteins of two species can provide the necessary interpretation that helps to find their evolutionary relationship. When the proteins of two species are observed, it could reflect the evolutionary path by determining whether they diverged from one another, thereby providing the evolutionary history.

Step-by-step solution

Step-1: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

DNA is a double-stranded structure in a double-helix by hydrogen bond and is made of nucleotide sequences. They have a phosphate and sugar backbone attached with four different nitrogenous bases. They contain the necessary instructions for growth and development.

These DNA sequences are converted into protein units which are the functional blocks. It is first transcribed into RNA (ribonucleic acid) and RNA into protein.

Step-2: Evolutionary relationship

Evolution is the change that occurs in an organism and is often inherited. The reason behind evolution includes the natural selection and genetic variation. A phylogenetic tree helps to determine the relationship among organisms based on the inheritance pattern called evolutionary relationship.

Step-3: Proteins can form evolutionary products

DNA has nucleotide sequences that produce the protein. These proteins are derived after the process of central dogma in deoxyribonucleic acid. When these proteins of two different species are analyzed, it could reflect the underlying genetic difference.