The olfactory receptor gene repertoires in secondary-adapted marine vertebrates: evidence for reduction of the functional proportions in cetaceans

Biology Letters - Tập 3 Số 4 - Trang 428-430 - 2007
Takushi Kishida1, Shin Kubota2, Yoshihisa Shirayama2, Hironobu Fukami2
1Department of Zoology, Kyoto UniversityShirahama-cho 459, Wakayama 649-2211, Japan
2Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyoto UniversityShirahama-cho 459, Wakayama 649-2211, Japan

Tóm tắt

An olfactory receptor (OR) multigene family is responsible for the well-developed sense of smell possessed by terrestrial tetrapods. Mammalian OR genes had diverged greatly in the terrestrial environment after the fish–tetrapod split, indicating their importance to land habitation. In this study, we analysed OR genes of marine tetrapods (minke whaleBalaenoptera acutorostrata, dwarf sperm whaleKogia sima, Dall's porpoisePhocoenoides dalli, Steller's sea lionEumetopias jubatusand loggerhead sea turtleCaretta caretta) and revealed that the pseudogene proportions of OR gene repertoires in whales were significantly higher than those in their terrestrial relative cattle and also in sea lion and sea turtle. On the other hand, the pseudogene proportion of OR sequences in sea lion was not significantly higher compared with that in their terrestrial relative (dog). It indicates that secondary perfectly adapted marine vertebrates (cetaceans) have lost large amount of their OR genes, whereas secondary-semi-adapted marine vertebrates (sea lions and sea turtles) still have maintained their OR genes, reflecting the importance of terrestrial environment for these animals.

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Biology Letters

Tập 3 Số 4

428-430

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