In Silico Analysis of TYR Gene in Corvus species as Potential Novel Genetic Models for Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA1)

Abstract

Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the TYR gene, which encodes for the tyrosinase enzyme that regulates melanin pigmentation biosynthesis. This study aims to explore the potential of Corvus species (crow) as novel avian genetic models for OCA1 through a series of comparative bioinformatics analysis to assess the TYR gene across five Corvus species (Corvus brachyrhyncos, Corvus cornix, Corvus hawaiiensis, Corvus kubaryi, and Corvus moneduloides) in comparison to Homo sapiens (human). Local and multiple sequence alignments were conducted to measure nucleotide and protein similarity, while conserved and variable site analysis, protein motif identification, pairwise genetic distance calculation, and phylogenetic tree construction were performed to evaluate evolutionary conservation. The collective findings supported that the TYR gene is structurally and functionally conserved across the human and avian species, and showed notable homology with humans such as shared key protein motif for tyrosinase activity, supporting the potential of Corvus species as novel avian genetic models to study OCA1.