A transcriptomic atlas of mammalian olfactory mucosae reveals an evolutionary influence on food odor detection in humans
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: The mammalian olfactory system displays species-specific adaptations to different ecological niches. To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) subtypes across mammalian evolution, we applied RNA sequencing of whole olfactory mucosa samples from mouse, rat, dog, marmoset, macaque, and human. We find that OSN subtypes, representative of all known mouse chemosensory receptor gene families, are present in all analyzed species. Further, we show that OSN subtypes expressing canonical olfactory receptors are distributed across a large dynamic range and that homologous subtypes can be either highly abundant across all species or species/order specific. Highly abundant mouse and human OSN subtypes detect odorants with similar sensory profiles and sense ecologically relevant odorants, such as mouse semiochemicals or human key food odorants. Together, our results allow for a better understanding of the evolution of mammalian olfaction in mammals and provide insights into the possible functions of highly abundant OSN subtypes.
Source: Science Advances
Authors: Luis R. Saraiva, Fernando Riveros-McKay, Massimo Mezzavilla, Eman H. Abou-Moussa, Charles J. Arayata, Melanie Makhlouf, Casey Trimmer, Ximena Ibarra-Soria, Mona Khan, Laura Van Gerven, Mark Jorissen, Matthew Gibbs, Ciaran O’Flynn, Scott McGrane, Peter Mombaerts, John C. Marioni, Joel D. Mainland, Darren W. Logan
Institutions: European Bioinformatics Institute, Monell Chemical Senses Center, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven, Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, University of Cambridge, University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Sensory Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W2966245357