Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Taste and odorant receptors of the coelacanth-A gene repertoire in transition
Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution, Volume 322, No. 6, Year 2014
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
G-protein coupled chemosensory receptors (GPCR-CRs) aid in the perception of odors and tastes in vertebrates. So far, six GPCR-CR families have been identified that are conserved in most vertebrate species. Phylogenetic analyses indicate differing evolutionary dynamics between teleost fish and tetrapods. The coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae belongs to the lobe-finned fishes, which represent a phylogenetic link between these two groups. We searched the genome of L. chalumnae for GPCR-CRs and found that coelacanth taste receptors are more similar to those in tetrapods than in teleost fish: two coelacanth T1R2s co-segregate with the tetrapod T1R2s that recognize sweet substances, and our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the teleost T1R2s are closer related to T1R1s (umami taste receptors) than to tetrapod T1R2s. Furthermore, coelacanths are the first fish with a large repertoire of bitter taste receptors (58 T2Rs). Considering current knowledge on feeding habits of coelacanths the question arises if perception of bitter taste is the only function of these receptors. Similar to teleost fish, coelacanths have a variety of olfactory receptors (ORs) necessary for perception of water-soluble substances. However, they also have seven genes in the two tetrapod OR subfamilies predicted to recognize airborne molecules. The two coelacanth vomeronasal receptor families are larger than those in teleost fish, and similar to tetrapods and form V1R and V2R monophyletic clades. This may point to an advanced development of the vomeronasal organ as reported for lungfish. Our results show that the intermediate position of Latimeria in the phylogeny is reflected in its GPCR-CR repertoire. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Picone, Barbara
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Hesse, Uljana
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Panji, Sumir
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
South Africa, Observatory
Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine
van Heusden, Peter A.
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Jonas, Mario
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Christoffels, Alan G.
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Statistics
Citations: 33
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1002/jez.b.22531
ISSN:
15525007
e-ISSN:
15525015
Research Areas
Environmental
Genetics And Genomics