Dynamic evolution of bitter taste receptor genes in vertebrates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sensing bitter tastes is crucial for many animals because it can prevent them from ingesting harmful foods. This process is mainly mediated by the bitter taste receptors (T2R), which are largely expressed in the taste buds. Previous studies have identified some T2R gene repertoires, and marked variation in repertoire size has been noted among species. However, the mechanisms underlying the evolution of vertebrate T2R genes remain poorly understood.

Results

To better understand the evolutionary pattern of these genes, we identified 16 T2R gene repertoires based on the high coverage genome sequences of vertebrates and studied the evolutionary changes in the number of T2R genes during birth-and-death evolution using the reconciled-tree method. We found that the numbe

SUBMITTER: Dong D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2646699 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature