The purpose of our experiment is to test the similarities and differences in the proteins found in similar structures (heart, leg, and breast) in two organisms (turkey and chicken). We hypothesized that similar body structures in different organisms will have more similar proteins or protein ratios as opposed to proteins in different structures within the same organism.
A study by Children’s Fund of Michigan Research Lab experimented to find similarities in the presence of certain amino acids in muscle meats and beef organs. The animals they experimented with (for muscle meats) were beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, turtle, codfish, salmon, frog legs and shrimp, while the amino acids collected from within the same animal (a cow) were from the liver, kidney, brain, heart, stomach and lung (Beach et al). The study found that the muscle meats, though collected from a variety of organisms, all had quite similar amino acid sequences (Beach et al). On the other hand, the different organs within the cow shared great differences in amino acid coding. Though our experiment is limited to comparing muscle tissue from two organisms, and can only compare 3 organs from a single animal, this previously conducted experiment does support our hypothesis.
The results of this experiment are relevant for dietary and evolutionary studies. Comparing the proteins present in the different organs of an animal would help us better understand which animal is better for consumption. In addition, similar protein structures also help us better understand evolutionary relationships between species, which is also why it is important to conduct such studies.
References:
Beach, E.F.; Munks, B.; Robinson, A. The amino acid composition of animal tissue protein.
[accessed 2017 Feb 9]. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19431401259
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