Amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae) has orthologs of vertebrate odorant receptors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A common feature of chemosensory systems is the involvement of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the detection of environmental stimuli. Several lineages of GPCRs are involved in vertebrate olfaction, including trace amine-associated receptors, type 1 and 2 vomeronasal receptors and odorant receptors (ORs). Gene duplication and gene loss in different vertebrate lineages have lead to an enormous amount of variation in OR gene repertoire among species; some fish have fewer than 100 OR genes, while some mammals possess more than 1000. Fascinating features of the vertebrate olfactory system include allelic exclusion, where each olfactory neuron expresses only a single OR gene, and axonal guidance where neurons expressing the same receptor project axons to common glomeru

SUBMITTER: Churcher AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2764704 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature