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Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds

The sense of smell, or olfaction, is fundamental in the life of animals. However, penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes) possess relatively small olfactory bulbs compared with most other waterbirds such as Procellariiformes and Gaviiformes. To test whether penguins have a reduced reliance on olfaction, we...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Lu, Qin, Wang, Kai, Lei, Fumin, Yu, Dan, Zhao, Huabin
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4985648/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27527385
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep31671
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author Lu, Qin
Wang, Kai
Lei, Fumin
Yu, Dan
Zhao, Huabin
author_facet Lu, Qin
Wang, Kai
Lei, Fumin
Yu, Dan
Zhao, Huabin
author_sort Lu, Qin
collection PubMed
description The sense of smell, or olfaction, is fundamental in the life of animals. However, penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes) possess relatively small olfactory bulbs compared with most other waterbirds such as Procellariiformes and Gaviiformes. To test whether penguins have a reduced reliance on olfaction, we analyzed the draft genome sequences of the two penguins, which diverged at the origin of the order Sphenisciformes; we also examined six closely related species with available genomes, and identified 29 one-to-one orthologous olfactory receptor genes (i.e. ORs) that are putatively functionally conserved and important across the eight birds. To survey the 29 one-to-one orthologous ORs in penguins and their relatives, we newly generated 34 sequences that are missing from the draft genomes. Through the analysis of totaling 378 OR sequences, we found that, of these functionally important ORs common to other waterbirds, penguins have a significantly greater percentage of OR pseudogenes than other waterbirds, suggesting a reduction of olfactory capability. The penguin-specific reduction of olfactory capability arose in the common ancestor of penguins between 23 and 60 Ma, which may have resulted from the aquatic specializations for underwater vision. Our study provides genetic evidence for a possible reduction of reliance on olfaction in penguins.
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spelling pubmed-49856482016-08-22 Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds Lu, Qin Wang, Kai Lei, Fumin Yu, Dan Zhao, Huabin Sci Rep Article The sense of smell, or olfaction, is fundamental in the life of animals. However, penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes) possess relatively small olfactory bulbs compared with most other waterbirds such as Procellariiformes and Gaviiformes. To test whether penguins have a reduced reliance on olfaction, we analyzed the draft genome sequences of the two penguins, which diverged at the origin of the order Sphenisciformes; we also examined six closely related species with available genomes, and identified 29 one-to-one orthologous olfactory receptor genes (i.e. ORs) that are putatively functionally conserved and important across the eight birds. To survey the 29 one-to-one orthologous ORs in penguins and their relatives, we newly generated 34 sequences that are missing from the draft genomes. Through the analysis of totaling 378 OR sequences, we found that, of these functionally important ORs common to other waterbirds, penguins have a significantly greater percentage of OR pseudogenes than other waterbirds, suggesting a reduction of olfactory capability. The penguin-specific reduction of olfactory capability arose in the common ancestor of penguins between 23 and 60 Ma, which may have resulted from the aquatic specializations for underwater vision. Our study provides genetic evidence for a possible reduction of reliance on olfaction in penguins. Nature Publishing Group 2016-08-16 /pmc/articles/PMC4985648/ /pubmed/27527385 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep31671 Text en Copyright © 2016, The Author(s) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
spellingShingle Article
Lu, Qin
Wang, Kai
Lei, Fumin
Yu, Dan
Zhao, Huabin
Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title_full Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title_fullStr Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title_full_unstemmed Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title_short Penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
title_sort penguins reduced olfactory receptor genes common to other waterbirds
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4985648/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27527385
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep31671
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