Comparative Analysis of Olfactory Receptor Repertoires Sheds Light on the Diet Adaptation of the Bamboo-Eating Giant Panda Based on the Chromosome-Level Genome.

ABSTRACT: The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the epitome of a flagship species for wildlife conservation and also an ideal model of adaptive evolution. As an obligate bamboo feeder, the giant panda relies on the olfaction for food recognition. The number of olfactory receptor (OR) genes and the rate of pseudogenes are the main factors affecting the olfactory ability of animals. In this study, we used the chromosome-level genome of the giant panda to identify OR genes and compared the genome sequences of OR genes with five other Ursidae species (spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), American black bear (Ursus americanus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus)). The giant panda had 639 OR genes

SUBMITTER: Zhou C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10044402 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature