Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
Mol Ecol. 2011 Oct;20(19):4059-69. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05251.x. Epub 2011 Aug 29.
It has been hypothesized that salmonids use olfactory cues to return to their natal rivers and streams. However, the key components of the molecular pathway involved in imprinting and homing are still unknown. If odorants are involved in salmon homing migration, then olfactory receptors should play a critical role in the dissipation of information from the environment to the fish. Therefore, we examined the expression profiles of a suite of genes encoding olfactory receptors and other olfactory-related genes in the olfactory rosettes of different life stages in two anadromous and one non-anadromous wild Atlantic salmon populations from Newfoundland, Canada. We identified seven differentially expressed OlfC genes in juvenile anadromous salmon compared to returning adults in both populations of anadromous Atlantic salmon. The salmon from the Campbellton River had an additional 10 genes that were differentially expressed in juveniles compared to returning adults. There was no statistically significant difference in gene expression of any of the genes in the non-anadromous population (P < 0.01). The function of the OlfC gene products is not clear, but they are predicted to be amino acid receptors. Other studies have suggested that salmon use amino acids for imprinting and homing. This study, the first to examine the expression of olfactory-related genes in wild North American Atlantic salmon, has identified seven OlfC genes that may be involved in the imprinting and homeward migration of anadromous Atlantic salmon.
人们推测鲑鱼利用嗅觉线索返回其出生地的河流和溪流。然而，参与印记和归巢的分子途径的关键组成部分仍不清楚。如果气味物质参与鲑鱼的归巢洄游，那么嗅觉受体应该在从环境到鱼类的信息传递中发挥关键作用。因此，我们检查了来自加拿大纽芬兰的两个洄游性和一个非洄游性野生大西洋鲑种群的不同生命阶段的嗅觉罗塞塔中一系列编码嗅觉受体和其他嗅觉相关基因的表达谱。我们在幼鲑鱼中鉴定出了 7 个与洄游成年鲑鱼相比差异表达的 OlfC 基因，这两个大西洋鲑鱼洄游种群都是如此。与返回的成年鲑鱼相比，来自坎贝尔顿河的鲑鱼有 10 个基因在幼鲑鱼中差异表达。非洄游种群中任何基因的表达都没有统计学上的显著差异（P < 0.01）。OlfC 基因产物的功能尚不清楚，但它们被预测为氨基酸受体。其他研究表明鲑鱼使用氨基酸进行印记和归巢。这项研究首次检查了野生北美大西洋鲑鱼嗅觉相关基因的表达，鉴定出了 7 个 OlfC 基因，它们可能参与了洄游大西洋鲑鱼的印记和归巢洄游。
