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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
Published on: August 17, 2018
Identification of a Bitter-Taste Receptor Gene Repertoire in Different Lagomorphs Species
Ana M Ferreira1, Andreia T Marques2, Luca Fontanesi3
1Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Universidade de ÉvoraÉvora, Portugal; Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Células Vegetais, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de LisboaOeiras, Portugal.
Abstract:
The repertoires of bitter-taste receptor (T2R) gene have been described for several animal species, but these data are still scarce for Lagomorphs. The aim of the present work is to identify potential repertoires of T2R in several Lagomorph species, covering a wide geographical distribution. We studied these genes in Lepus timidus, L. europaeus, Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus, Romerolagus diazi, and Sylvilagus floridanus, using O. cuniculus cuniculus as control species for PCR and DNA sequencing. We studied the identities of the DNA sequences and built the corresponding phylogenetic tree. Sequencing was successful for both subspecies of O. cuniculus for all T2R genes studied, for five genes in Lepus, and for three genes in R. diazi and S. floridanus. We describe for the first time the partial repertoires of T2R genes for Lagomorphs species, other than the common rabbit. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that sequence proximity levels follow the established taxonomic classification.
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