PUBLICATION

Divergent Evolution among Teleost V1r Receptor Genes

Authors
Pfister, P., Randall, J., Montoya-Burgos, J.I., and Rodriguez, I.
ID
ZDB-PUB-070427-24
Date
2007
Source
PLoS One   2(1): e379 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Zebrafish, Mammalian genomics, Phylogenetic analysis, Olfactory receptor neurons, Sequence alignment, Evolutionary rate, Sequence databases, Pheromone receptors
MeSH Terms
  • 5' Untranslated Regions
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Fishes
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Receptors, Odorant/chemistry
  • Receptors, Odorant/genetics*
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Vomeronasal Organ/metabolism*
PubMed
17440615 Full text @ PLoS One
Abstract
The survival of vertebrate species is dependent on the ability of individuals to adequately interact with each other, a function often mediated by the olfactory system. Diverse olfactory receptor repertoires are used by this system to recognize chemicals. Among these receptors, the V1rs, encoded by a very large gene family in most mammals, are able to detect pheromones. Teleosts, which also express V1r receptors, possess a very limited V1r repertoire. Here, taking advantage of the possibility to unequivocally identify V1r orthologs in teleosts, we analyzed the olfactory expression and evolutionary constraints of a pair of clustered fish V1r receptor genes, V1r1 and V1r2. Orthologs of the two genes were found in zebrafish, medaka, and threespine stickleback, but a single representative was observed in tetraodontidae species. Analysis of V1r1 and V1r2 sequences from 12 different euteleost species indicate different evolutionary rates between the two paralogous genes, leading to a highly conserved V1r2 gene and a V1r1 gene under more relaxed selective constraint. Moreover, positively-selected sites were detected in specific branches of the V1r1 clade. Our results suggest a conserved agonist specificity of the V1R2 receptor between euteleost species, its loss in the tetraodontidae lineage, and the acquisition of different chemosensory characteristics for the V1R1 receptor.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping