Alzheimer's+Data+Analysis

**Analysis and Discussion**
====The protein ClustaW alignment is considered a good alignment because there are hardly any gaps between all of the protein sequences that are included. This means that all of the sequences in the alignment are similar in and that there are not many variances between them. The protein UPGMA phylogenetic tree shows significant results to answer the research question about whether or not other species can develop Alzheimer’s disease. It shows that the species whose ApoE protein sequences were aligned have similar phenotypic characteristics, which indicates that their ApoE proteins have similar functions. The protein Maximum Parsimony phylogenetic tree also shows significant results to answer this research question. In this phylogenetic tree, it shows that these species’ ApoE proteins must also have similar pathway functions, which means that the same defect can affect all these species in a similar way. So, if all species had the same two copies of alleles, and those two alleles resulted in Alzheimer’s disease, they might suffer the same defects in Aβ and develop plaques between the dendrites in their brain. This would then result in a decrease in communication between the species’ Left Posterior Cingulate Gyrus and Left Superior Parietal Lobe, which are involved in memory and interpreting sensory information, respectively.====

====In conclusion, because the two protein phylogenetic trees that were chosen show that the protein sequences of all of the species included in the protein alignment have similar phenotypic characteristics and functions of the ApoE protein, then all these species must be able to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This is because their ApoE genes must have similar functions if there protein sequences have similar functions and when the ApoE gene contains a SNP, which must result in the same changes and complications to the organism’s body. So, the SNP that results in the ApoE gene must result in the organism developing Alzheimer’s and also developing plaques between the dendrites in the brain resulting in the loss of myelin and a decrease in electrical impulses being sent through the brain decreasing memory and sensory interpretation. Because all of these species must develop Alzheimer’s when the gene is mutated, then the four drugs that are used to treat Alzheimer’s in humans might also have the same affect on the other species in the protein alignment, resulting in an increase in their memory and sensory interpretation.====

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