Convergent degeneration of olfactory receptor gene repertoires in marine mammals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Olfactory receptors (ORs) can bind odor molecules and play a crucial role in odor sensation. Due to the frequent gains and losses of genes during evolution, the number of OR members varies greatly among different species. However, whether the extent of gene gains/losses varies between marine mammals and related terrestrial mammals has not been clarified, and the factors that might underlie these variations are unknown.

Results

To address these questions, we identified more than 10,000 members of the OR family in 23 mammals and classified them into 830 orthologous gene groups (OGGs) and 281 singletons. Significant differences occurred in the number of OR repertoires and OGGs among different species. We found that all marine mammals had fewer OR genes than their rel

SUBMITTER: Liu A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6916060 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature