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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315482
Title: Sequence analysis of a bitter taste receptor gene repertoires in different ruminant species

Author
item FERREIRA, A - Universidade De Evora
item MARQUES, A - Universita Degli Studi Di Salerno
item BHIDE, M - Slovak University Of Agriculture
item CUBRIC-CURIK, V - University Of Zagreb
item HOLLUNG, K - Nofima
item KNIGHT, C - University Of Copenhagen
item RAUNDRUP, K - Greenland Institute Of Natural Resources
item Lippolis, John
item Palmer, Mitchell
item SALES-BAPTISTA, E - Universidade De Evora
item ARAUJO, S - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos
item DE ALMEIDA, A - Instituto De Agroquimica Y Technologia De Alimentos

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/2015
Publication Date: 6/10/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/61358
Citation: Ferreira, A.M., Marques, A.T., Bhide, M., Cubric-Curik, V., Hollung, K., Knight, C.H., Raundrup, K., Lippolis, J.D., Palmer, M.V., Sales-Baptista, E., Araujo, S.S., De Almeida, A.M. 2015. Sequence analysis of a bitter taste receptor gene repertoires in different ruminant species. PLoS One. 10(6):e0129740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129740.

Interpretive Summary: Taste has been studied in mammalian species and is associated with sensitivity to toxins and with food choices that avoid dangerous substances in the diet. At the molecular level, bitter compounds are sensed by bitter taste receptor proteins. Bitter taste is well characterized for humans at both molecular and genetic levels, but little is known for ruminants, although they have the anatomical structures for taste perception and they make use of this important taste ability in their dietary choices. This work explores the sequence variation of one gene in different ruminant species.

Technical Abstract: Bitter taste has been extensively studied in mammalian species and is associated with sensitivity to toxins and with food choices that avoid dangerous substances in the diet. At the molecular level, bitter compounds are sensed by bitter taste receptor proteins (T2R) present at the surface of taste receptor cells in the gustatory papillae. Our work aims at exploring the phylogenetic relationships of T2R gene sequences within different ruminant species. To accomplish this goal, we gathered a collection of ruminant species with different feeding behaviors and for which no genome data is available: American bison, chamois, elk, European bison, fallow deer, goat, moose, mouflon, muskox, red deer, reindeer and white tailed deer. The herbivores chosen for this study belong to different taxonomic families and habitats, and hence, exhibit distinct foraging behaviors and diet preferences. We describe the first partial repertoires of T2R gene sequences for these species obtained by direct sequencing. We then consider the homology and evolutionary history of these receptors within this ruminant group, and whether it relates to feeding type classification, using MEGA software. Our results suggest that phylogenetic proximity of T2R genes corresponds more to the traditional taxonomic groups of the species rather than reflecting a categorization by feeding strategy.