There are footprints in the genes, and I want to find the signatures that may give us insight into what makes different genes have different functions, says Kumar. Identification of these signatures will take biomedicine closer to understanding the genetic basis of disease. Kumar searches for genes footprints by studying their family trees. We know that genes in the human genome belong to families, much like the people who carry them. What we are interested in knowing is the evolutionary tree of genes, the distant cousin genes and very closely related sister genes, he says.
Scientists can recognize gene families because their members have similar sequences.
Because the patterns of their genetic codes are similar, related genes functions are also often alike. Most interesting to Kumar is what makes each family member unique how its sequence and function differ from its relatives. Gene sequences change as a result of mutation. A mutation s effect is akin to changing the words in a sentence. Sometimes changing one critical nucleic acid can turn a gene off or alter its function.