14 - The Evolutionary Origins of Asthma

Gracie Hobbs, Rose Millay, and Annie Miller

Life Science Academy: Owensboro High School, Daviess County High School and Apollo

High School

Mentor: Natalie Mountjoy and Chandra Emani

 

Globally, 18.7 million (8%) adults and 6.8 million (9.3%) children suffer from asthma. More than

3,500 people die annually due to complications of this chronic lung disease. In partnership with

Western Kentucky University- Owensboro, we wanted to determine the evolutionary origins of

asthma in the human genome using the principles of bioinformatics (i.e., the application of

computer technology to the management of biological information). Interleukin 13 has been

identified as one gene related to asthma. Using PubMed, a biomedical database maintained by the

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), we identified the gene sequence of

Interleukin 13. We investigated the origins of the gene using basic local alignment search tools

(BLASTs), which use algorithms to compare DNA sequences, taxonomy reports and resulting

distance trees to create an evolutionary diagram of the gene’s existence in various species. We

found evidence that Interleukin 13 may have originated in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus

anatinus), an egg-laying mammal native to Australia. Understanding the evolutionary history of

Interleukin 13 may aid in developing successful treatments for asthma.

Done