Antimicrobial Protein Modelling Studies and Biophysical Characterization of Opsin Protein in Leptucapugilator

S. Harshini; S. Haritha; K. Shoba

doi:10.37591/(rrjobi).v9i3.1394

Abstract

Members of the Ocypodidae family and subgroup Ucinae, fiddler crabs are common in the world's tropics and subtropics. Leptucapugilator (Fiddler crabs), also known as the Atlantic sand fiddler crab or calling crab, is a species of decapod mollusc that belongs to the Uca family. They are Ocypodidae brachyuran crabs, some of the most recent aquatic organisms to reach the coast. West Africa, the Western Atlantic, the Eastern Pacific, the Indo-Pacific, and the Algarve regions of Portugal are among the places where fiddler crabs can be found. They are readily identifiable by their noticeably asymmetrical claws. These species can be found in mangroves, saline marshes, lagoons and wetlands, brackish intertidal mud flats, sandy or muddy coasts, lagoons, and swamps. Fiddler crabs help with the mineralization and turnover of essential minerals. Numerous species-specific patterns of body colour can be used as intra- and inter-specific connection cues. Understanding the behavioural and ecological significance of this colouring requires knowledge of whether fiddler crabs possess the physiological ability to identify colour cues. The photoreceptor protein opsin, which is present in U. pugilator, serves as a basic component of the molecular machinery responsible for colour perception and possibly trichromatic vision. The biophysical characterization of opsin protein in Leptucapugilator was carried out using a dipole movement server after the antimicrobial protein modelling studies were carried out using AmiGO, T-COFFEE, and the Swiss model.