Arginase II protein sequences were searched in the UniProt database at https://www.uniprot.org/. Fifteen different entries were selected from various organisms. A protein sequence alignment was conducted on the arginase protein for the following organisms: the Yangtze River Dolphin, North Pacific Minke Whale, Weddell Seal, Human, Sooty Mangabey, Horse, African Elephant, Chinese Alligator, Chinese Softshell Turtle, Zebra Finch, Chicken, Northern Mallard, African Clawed Frog, Japanese Pufferfish, and the Japanese Killifish. The protein sequence text file was then edited to include the common names of the species. This text file was saved in .fasta format then uploaded in the MEGA X program. Once in the program, the amino acid sequences were then aligned by using the muscle command and exported into mega format as a .meg file. This file was used to create a phylogenetic tree with bootstrap values which can be viewed in the "Results" tab. The .fasta file was also uploaded into the http://weblogo.berkeley.edu/ website to create a sequence logo, a graphical representation of the amino acid multiple sequence alignment, which can also be viewed in the "Results" tab. 

 

In addition to using computer programs, extensive research was conduction on the structure and function of both isoforms of arginase (ARG I and ARG II) and their metabolic roles in the urea cycle, as well as in ammonotelic and uricotelic organisms.