Research Design

In this project, we will be making nine different phylogenetic trees based on the nine HOXC genes. Each phylogenetic tree will retrieve a human HOXC reference sequence from the NCBI gene database and then search again on the NCBI gene database for the rest of the HOXC genes that are available for all species that lie in the Animalia kingdom. Of the available sequences, we will use MEGA software to align the sequence. The sequence is then saved. Using MEGA’s software, a phylogenetic tree will be created. The tree is then exported as a NEXUS file and uploaded into the iTOL website to create a phylogenetic tree that may be manipulated. The phylogenetic tree will then be evaluated for their reliability by obtaining the tree’s bootstrap value from MEGA.