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- Title
Birds Generally Carry a Small Repertoire of Bitter Taste Receptor Genes.
- Authors
Kai Wang; Huabin Zhao
- Abstract
As they belong to themost species-rich classof tetrapod vertebrates,birds have long been believed to possess an inferior taste system. However, the bitter taste is fundamental in birds to recognize dietary toxins (which are typically bitter) in potential food sources. To characterize the evolution of avian bitter taste receptor genes (Tas2rs) and to testwhether dietary toxins have shaped the repertoire size of avian Tas2rs, we examined 48 genomes representing all but 3 avian orders. The total number of Tas2r genes was found to range from 1 in the domestic pigeon to 12 in the bar-tailed trogon, with an average of 4, which suggested that amuch smaller Tas2r gene repertoire exists in birds than in other vertebrates. Furthermore, we uncovered a positive correlation between the number of putatively functional Tas2rs and the abundance of potential toxins in avian diets. Because plant products contain more toxins than animal tissues and insects release poisonous defensive secretions, we hypothesized that herbivorous and insectivorous birds may demandmore functional Tas2rs than carnivorous birds feeding on noninsect animals. Our analyses appear to support this hypothesis and highlight the critical role of taste perception in birds.
- Publication
Genome Biology & Evolution, 2015, Vol 7, Issue 9, p2705
- ISSN
1759-6653
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/gbe/evv180