WD+Discussion

Gene Trees
The gene maximum likelihood tree generated using MEGA, shows bootstrap values higher than 75 which means that the topology of the tree is supported by strong statistical evidence. The internal nodes of the tree are a representation of the relation among the organisms shown at the external nodes. When we look at the tree (figure 2) on the previous page, we can see that the tree has three groups. 
 * Group A **

At the top of this group, we can see //m////ulatta// and //fascicularis// are most closely related to each other. Branching out from that is //Nemestrina// which is closely related to both of them. At the last branch of group A is //Papio anubis// that is closer to //Nemestrina//, then //mulatta// and //fascicularis//.


 * Group B **

This group has two simple branches that show a close relationship between //Colobus// and //Rhinopithecus.//

At the bottom of this group we can see a close relationship between //Pan Troglodytes// and //Pan paniscus//. They are more closely related to //Homo sapiens// than //Gorilla//.
 * Group C **

Protein Trees
In the Protein maximum likelihood tree we can see that all the bootstrap values are above 80 that means there is a good statistical evidence that supports the topology of the tree. This tree also has three grouping like the gene tree.

**Group A** 

In this group an equidistant relationship among all the organisms is observed. //Macaca fascicularis// and //nemestrin// are closely related to each other. Whereas, //Papio Anubis// and //Macaca mulatta// are closely related to each other. This relationship is different than the relationship observed in the group A of the Gene tree.

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Group B** <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this group //Colobus// is related to //Rhinopithecus,// which is the same relationship seen in the Gene tree.

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Group C** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this group, //Pan troglodytes// are closely related to //Pan paniscus//. They are closer to //Homo sapiens// rather than //Gorilla//. This same relationship can be seen in group C of the gene tree.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Comparison With the Tree of Life
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The evolutionary trees were obtained from the tree of life []. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this tree we can see //Gorilla// is in a different group than //Pan//, and //Homo//. Which is a different pattern than what we have seen in both gene and protein trees.



<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When we see the group A in this tree we can see //Macaca// and //Papio// in the same group which is similar to what we have seen. Whereas, In group C, of this tree //Colobus// is closely related to //Procolobus// which is different from the relationship that we have seen in gene and protein trees.

=<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Literature Discussion = <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Diagnosis**

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) has proven to be important for improving the detection of mutations in WD patients which is the basis for predictive testing of at-risk relatives (Todorov, 2016). MLPA is a multiplex PCR that helps in the detection of small and variable mutations that were missed using routine sequencing. It is a fast and inexpensive method, and can detect mutations that are 3-5 bp long, which routine sequencing methods fail to identify.

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Treatment**

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">There is no permanent cure for WD. The patients are prescribed lifelong medications of copper chelators that bind with excess copper and excrete it through urine. The patients are asked to watch their diet, and are advised not to eat foods that are rich in copper content such as: shellfish, liver, and nuts. These treatments help in stabilizing the copper content in the body, but they do not provide a permanent cure. However, there has been research studying the possible permanent cure for WD through cell therapy. The diseased cells that are ATP7B dependent for copper transportation are present in the liver. Replacing the diseased hepatocytes with healthy hepatocytes has shown promise. This replacement of cells will not only allow proper transport of copper through bile, but also helps in reversing damage to the liver caused by copper accumulation.

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