What I think is absolutely insane is that neuropeptide F (NPF) is a homologue of our neuropeptie Y.
The fruit flies that have lower levels of NPF tends to drink ethanol more that the ones with higher levels. And there are also some studies, that uncover connestion between alcohol consumption and our neuropeptide Y.
How cool is that?
Btw, few minutes ago I made a tutorial post about how to draw Neuropeptide F. I mean, dont take it as a self-promotion, I just think it is a funny co-incidence :D
A lot of proteins are closely related because from a genetic standpoint they all come from the same gene. When a gene is replicated and you're left with two copies it leads to redundancy which means one version of the gene is able to go off and mutate into a new protein with a completely new function without harming the functionality of the organism!
Yea, I study genetics :D But the more I study the more mind-blown I get.
I know I just checked out your page. Great topic to study, I did my honours thesis in genomics... you're right that the lab work is dry! :/