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Olfactory receptor subgenome and expression in a highly olfactory procellariiform seabird.
Simon Yung Wa Sin1,2, Alison Cloutier1, Gabrielle Nevitt3
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Genetics
|December 10, 2021
Summary
Leach
Area of Science:
- Olfactory receptor (OR) gene evolution in avian species.
- Comparative genomics and transcriptomics of seabird olfaction.
Background:
- Procellariiform seabirds utilize their sense of smell for essential behaviors like foraging and navigation.
- Understanding olfactory receptor (OR) gene evolution offers insights into natural and sexual selection pressures.
- No prior transcriptomic data existed for the olfactory epithelium of any bird species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the olfactory receptor (OR) repertoire of the Leach's storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa).
- To investigate the number, evolution, and expression patterns of OR genes in this seabird species.
- To explore potential ontogenetic specializations in olfactory gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Assembly of a high-quality genome and nasal epithelium transcriptome for the Leach's storm-petrel.
- Utilized a depth-of-coverage-assisted counting method to estimate intact OR genes and fragments.
- Analyzed OR expression patterns and correlated them with gene copy number and age classes.
Main Results:
- Estimated over 160 intact OR genes, the highest number among studied waterbirds, with a low pseudogene proportion.
- Identified specific OR genes (OR6-6, OR5-11) highly expressed in adults and others (OR14-14, OR14-12, OR10-2, OR14-9) differentially expressed between chicks and adults.
- Observed a link between high copy number ratios and expression variation in three highly differentially expressed OR genes.
Conclusions:
- The Leach's storm-petrel possesses a large and relatively intact olfactory receptor repertoire.
- Ontogenetic changes in OR gene expression suggest specialized olfactory functions during development.
- Findings provide crucial data on the evolution, expression, and development of olfaction in seabirds.
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