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Hou M, Akhtar MS, Hayashi M, Ashino R, Matsumoto-Oda A, Hayakawa T, Ishida T, Melin AD, Imai H, Kawamura S. Reduction of bitter taste receptor gene family in folivorous colobine primates relative to omnivorous cercopithecine primates. Primates 2024; 65:311-331. [PMID: 38605281 PMCID: PMC11219393 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01124-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Bitter taste perception is important in preventing animals from ingesting potentially toxic compounds. Whole-genome assembly (WGA) data have revealed that bitter taste receptor genes (TAS2Rs) comprise a multigene family with dozens of intact and disrupted genes in primates. However, publicly available WGA data are often incomplete, especially for multigene families. In this study, we employed a targeted capture (TC) approach specifically probing TAS2Rs for ten species of cercopithecid primates with diverse diets, including eight omnivorous cercopithecine species and two folivorous colobine species. We designed RNA probes for all TAS2Rs that we modeled to be intact in the common ancestor of cercopithecids ("ancestral-cercopithecid TAS2R gene set"). The TC was followed by short-read and high-depth massive-parallel sequencing. TC retrieved more intact TAS2R genes than found in WGA databases. We confirmed a large number of gene "births" at the common ancestor of cercopithecids and found that the colobine common ancestor and the cercopithecine common ancestor had contrasting trajectories: four gene "deaths" and three gene births, respectively. The number of intact TAS2R genes was markedly reduced in colobines (25-28 detected via TC and 20-26 detected via WGA analysis) as compared with cercopithecines (27-36 via TC and 19-30 via WGA). Birth or death events occurred at almost every phylogenetic-tree branch, making the composition of intact genes variable among species. These results show that evolutionary change in intact TAS2R genes is a complex process, refute a simple general prediction that herbivory favors more TAS2R genes, and have implications for understanding dietary adaptations and the evolution of detoxification abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Hou
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bioscience BLDG Room 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Muhammad Shoaib Akhtar
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bioscience BLDG Room 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Masahiro Hayashi
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bioscience BLDG Room 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Ashino
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bioscience BLDG Room 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Akiko Matsumoto-Oda
- Graduate School of Tourism Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Hayakawa
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hiroo Imai
- Molecular Biology Section, Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bioscience BLDG Room 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.
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2
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Activation of specific bitter taste receptors by olive oil phenolics and secoiridoids. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22340. [PMID: 34785711 PMCID: PMC8595653 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01752-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a critical component of the Mediterranean diet, which has been found beneficial to human health. Bitterness is often positively associated with the presence of phenolic compounds in EVOO. There are twenty-five bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in humans, each of which responds to specific bitter tastants. The identity of phenolic compounds and the bitter taste receptors they stimulate remain unknown. In this study, we isolated 12 phenolic and secoiridoid compounds from the olive fruit and the oil extracted from it, and tested their ability to stimulate bitter taste receptor activity, using a calcium mobilization functional assay. Our results showed that seven out of twelve studied compounds activated TAS2R8, and five of them activated TAS2R1, TAS2R8, and TAS2R14. The phenolic compounds oleuropein aglycon and ligstroside aglycon were the most potent bitter tastants in olive oil. TAS2R1 and TAS2R8 were the major bitter taste receptors activated most potently by these phenolic compounds. The results obtained here could be utilized to predict and control the bitterness of olive oil based on the concentration of specific bitter phenolics produced during the milling process of olives.
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3
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Jiao H, Wang Q, Wang BJ, Li K, Lövy M, Nevo E, Li Q, Su W, Jiang P, Zhao H. Local adaptation of bitter taste and ecological speciation in a wild mammal. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4562-4572. [PMID: 34240186 PMCID: PMC8476172 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory systems are attractive evolutionary models to address how organisms adapt to local environments that can cause ecological speciation. However, tests of these evolutionary models have focused on visual, auditory, and olfactory senses. Here, we show local adaptation of bitter taste receptor genes in two neighboring populations of a wild mammal—the blind mole rat Spalax galili—that show ecological speciation in divergent soil environments. We found that basalt-type bitter receptors showed higher response intensity and sensitivity compared with chalk-type ones using both genetic and cell-based functional analyses. Such functional changes could help animals adapted to basalt soil select plants with less bitterness from diverse local foods, whereas a weaker reception to bitter taste may allow consumption of a greater range of plants for animals inhabiting chalk soil with a scarcity of food supply. Our study shows divergent selection on food resources through local adaptation of bitter receptors, and suggests that taste plays an important yet underappreciated role in speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengwu Jiao
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Bing-Jun Wang
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Kexin Li
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.,State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystem, Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Matěj Lövy
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Eviatar Nevo
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Qiyang Li
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Wenchuan Su
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Peihua Jiang
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA
| | - Huabin Zhao
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Wuhan University-Tibet University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.,Research Center for Ecology, College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China
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4
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Dong X, Liang Q, Li J, Feng P. Positive selection drives the evolution of a primate bitter taste receptor gene. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5459-5467. [PMID: 34026020 PMCID: PMC8131804 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bitter taste perception is important in food choice of animals, and it is mediated by bitter taste receptor (T2R) containing three regions: extracellular regions (ECs), transmembrane regions (TMs), and intracellular regions (ICs). It is hypothesized that ECs, TMs, and ICs are under different selective pressures, with ECs being unstable while TMs and ICs being constrained. To test this hypothesis, we examined the selective pressures on one of the bitter taste receptor genes-T2R1 and its different areas from 35 primates and found that T2R1 was under neutral evolution but with some positively selected sites in it. Further analyses suggested that TMs, ICs, and the concatenated transmembrane region TM1237 were under purifying selection; in contrast, extracellular regions, the first and second extracellular loop (EL1, EL2), were subject to positive selection with several positively selected sites in them. Therefore, this study supported the above-mentioned hypothesis. The reason why EL1 and EL2 of T2R1 have positively selected sites is probably due to their participation in forming the cap-like structure involved in ligand binding. Positive selection acts as a driving force of the T2R1 functional differentiation and confers the ability to discern various bitter substances for primates, which could help them to adapt to the changing environment during the evolutionary course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Qiufang Liang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Jiaping Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Ping Feng
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
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5
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Orkin JD, Montague MJ, Tejada-Martinez D, de Manuel M, Del Campo J, Cheves Hernandez S, Di Fiore A, Fontsere C, Hodgson JA, Janiak MC, Kuderna LFK, Lizano E, Martin MP, Niimura Y, Perry GH, Valverde CS, Tang J, Warren WC, de Magalhães JP, Kawamura S, Marquès-Bonet T, Krawetz R, Melin AD. The genomics of ecological flexibility, large brains, and long lives in capuchin monkeys revealed with fecalFACS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2010632118. [PMID: 33574059 PMCID: PMC7896301 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2010632118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological flexibility, extended lifespans, and large brains have long intrigued evolutionary biologists, and comparative genomics offers an efficient and effective tool for generating new insights into the evolution of such traits. Studies of capuchin monkeys are particularly well situated to shed light on the selective pressures and genetic underpinnings of local adaptation to diverse habitats, longevity, and brain development. Distributed widely across Central and South America, they are inventive and extractive foragers, known for their sensorimotor intelligence. Capuchins have among the largest relative brain size of any monkey and a lifespan that exceeds 50 y, despite their small (3 to 5 kg) body size. We assemble and annotate a de novo reference genome for Cebus imitator Through high-depth sequencing of DNA derived from blood, various tissues, and feces via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (fecalFACS) to isolate monkey epithelial cells, we compared genomes of capuchin populations from tropical dry forests and lowland rainforests and identified population divergence in genes involved in water balance, kidney function, and metabolism. Through a comparative genomics approach spanning a wide diversity of mammals, we identified genes under positive selection associated with longevity and brain development. Additionally, we provide a technological advancement in the use of noninvasive genomics for studies of free-ranging mammals. Our intra- and interspecific comparative study of capuchin genomics provides insights into processes underlying local adaptation to diverse and physiologically challenging environments, as well as the molecular basis of brain evolution and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D Orkin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146
| | - Daniela Tejada-Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107
- Doctorado en Ciencias mención Ecología y Evolución, Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Marc de Manuel
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 170901 Cumbayá, Ecuador
| | - Claudia Fontsere
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jason A Hodgson
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - Lukas F K Kuderna
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Lizano
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Pia Martin
- Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Rescue Center, 60601 Quepos, Costa Rica
| | - Yoshihito Niimura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - George H Perry
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | | | - Jia Tang
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Division of Animal Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - João Pedro de Magalhães
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8562 Chiba, Japan
| | - Tomàs Marquès-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roman Krawetz
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
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6
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Liang Q, Shu F, Dong X, Feng P. The evolution of a bitter taste receptor gene in primates. Chem Senses 2021; 46:6449468. [PMID: 34864939 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjab049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bitter taste perception is critical to prevent animals from ingesting potentially harmful substances. The aim of this study was to characterize the evolution of T2R4 and test the hypothesis that different regions of the T2R gene are subject to disparate selective pressures, with extracellular regions (ECs) being erratic while transmembrane (TMs) and intracellular regions (ICs) being constrained. Thus, we examined the selective pressures acting on T2R4 and its different regions in 37 primates, and discovered that T2R4 and ECs were subject to neutral evolution and purifying selection, respectively, whereas both TMs and ICs showed purifying selection, as suggested by the hypothesis. We attribute this result to the relatively conservative property of T2R4 gene and the limited number of bitter tastants that T2R4 can respond to. Furthermore, we found that positive selection had acted on the first loop of extracellular regions (EL1). In contrast, the second loop (EL2) and transmembrane region-3, -6, -7 (TM367) were subject to purifying selection, and the third loop (EL3) was subject to neutral evolution. This discovery is probably because EL2, EL3, and TMs play a crucial role in the ligand-binding process, and EL1 is involved in the tastant recognition process. We further tested whether the ω of T2R4 differs among species with different diets and found that a specialized diet affected the evolution of T2R4. Feeding habits, fewer T2Rs, and a dietary shift may account for the results. This study can help to uncover the evolution of T2Rs during the primate evolutionary course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiufang Liang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Fanglan Shu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiaoyan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Ping Feng
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, Guangxi, China.,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China
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7
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Melin AD, Hogan JD, Campos FA, Wikberg E, King‐Bailey G, Webb S, Kalbitzer U, Asensio N, Murillo‐Chacon E, Cheves Hernandez S, Guadamuz Chavarria A, Schaffner CM, Kawamura S, Aureli F, Fedigan L, Jack KM. Primate life history, social dynamics, ecology, and conservation: Contributions from long‐term research in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
- Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie Deutsches Primatenzentrum – Leibniz‐Institut für Primatenforschung Göttingen Germany
| | - Jeremy D. Hogan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | | | - Eva Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | | | - Shasta Webb
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | - Urs Kalbitzer
- Department of Anthropology McGill University Montreal QC Canada
| | - Norberto Asensio
- Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento Universidad del País Vasco Bilbao Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Japan
| | - Filippo Aureli
- Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa Mexico
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
| | - Linda Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | - Katharine M. Jack
- Department of Anthropology University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio TX USA
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8
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Structure-Function Analyses of Human Bitter Taste Receptors-Where Do We Stand? Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25194423. [PMID: 32993119 PMCID: PMC7582848 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25194423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The finding that bitter taste receptors are expressed in numerous tissues outside the oral cavity and fulfill important roles in metabolic regulation, innate immunity and respiratory control, have made these receptors important targets for drug discovery. Efficient drug discovery depends heavily on detailed knowledge on structure-function-relationships of the target receptors. Unfortunately, experimental structures of bitter taste receptors are still lacking, and hence, the field relies mostly on structures obtained by molecular modeling combined with functional experiments and point mutageneses. The present article summarizes the current knowledge on the structure–function relationships of human bitter taste receptors. Although these receptors are difficult to express in heterologous systems and their homology with other G protein-coupled receptors is very low, detailed information are available at least for some of these receptors.
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9
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Baldwin MW, Ko MC. Functional evolution of vertebrate sensory receptors. Horm Behav 2020; 124:104771. [PMID: 32437717 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sensory receptors enable animals to perceive their external world, and functional properties of receptors evolve to detect the specific cues relevant for an organism's survival. Changes in sensory receptor function or tuning can directly impact an organism's behavior. Functional tests of receptors from multiple species and the generation of chimeric receptors between orthologs with different properties allow for the dissection of the molecular basis of receptor function and identification of the key residues that impart functional changes in different species. Knowledge of these functionally important sites facilitates investigation into questions regarding the role of epistasis and the extent of convergence, as well as the timing of sensory shifts relative to other phenotypic changes. However, as receptors can also play roles in non-sensory tissues, and receptor responses can be modulated by numerous other factors including varying expression levels, alternative splicing, and morphological features of the sensory cell, behavioral validation can be instrumental in confirming that responses observed in heterologous systems play a sensory role. Expression profiling of sensory cells and comparative genomics approaches can shed light on cell-type specific modifications and identify other proteins that may affect receptor function and can provide insight into the correlated evolution of complex suites of traits. Here we review the evolutionary history and diversity of functional responses of the major classes of sensory receptors in vertebrates, including opsins, chemosensory receptors, and ion channels involved in temperature-sensing, mechanosensation and electroreception.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meng-Ching Ko
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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10
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Tsutsui K, Otoh M, Sakurai K, Suzuki-Hashido N, Hayakawa T, Misaka T, Ishimaru Y, Aureli F, Melin AD, Kawamura S, Imai H. Variation in ligand responses of the bitter taste receptors TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 among New World monkeys. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:208. [PMID: 27733116 PMCID: PMC5062938 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0783-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background New World monkeys (NWMs) are unique in that they exhibit remarkable interspecific variation in color vision and feeding behavior, making them an excellent model for studying sensory ecology. However, it is largely unknown whether non-visual senses co-vary with feeding ecology, especially gustation, which is expected to be indispensable in food selection. Bitter taste, which is mediated by bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in the tongue, helps organisms avoid ingesting potentially toxic substances in food. In this study, we compared the ligand sensitivities of the TAS2Rs of five species of NWMs by heterologous expression in HEK293T cells and calcium imaging. Results We found that TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 orthologs differ in sensitivity among the NWM species for colchicine and camphor, respectively. We then reconstructed the ancestral receptors of NWM TAS2R1 and TAS2R4, measured the evolutionary shift in ligand sensitivity, and identified the amino acid replacement at residue 62 as responsible for the high sensitivity of marmoset TAS2R4 to colchicine. Conclusions Our results provide a basis for understanding the differences in feeding ecology among NWMs with respect to bitter taste. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0783-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Tsutsui
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Masahiro Otoh
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Kodama Sakurai
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | | | - Takashi Hayakawa
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.,Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Takumi Misaka
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiro Ishimaru
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Filippo Aureli
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Instituto de Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Departments of Anthropology & Archaeology and Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan.
| | - Hiroo Imai
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.
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