Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
Biol Lett. 2012 Aug 23;8(4):652-6. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1251. Epub 2012 Mar 7.
In mammals, bitter taste is mediated by TAS2R genes, which belong to the large family of seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors. Because TAS2Rs are directly involved in the interaction between mammals and their dietary sources, it is likely that these genes evolved to reflect species-specific diets during mammalian evolution. Here, we investigated the sensitivities of TAS2R16s of various primates by using a cultured cell expression system, and found that the sensitivity of each primate species varied according to the ligand. Especially, the sensitivity of TAS2R16 of Japanese macaques to salicin was much lower than that of human TAS2R16, which was supported by behavioural tests. These results suggest the possibility that bitter-taste sensitivities evolved independently by replacing specific amino acid residues of TAS2Rs in different primate species to adapt to food items they use.
在哺乳动物中,苦味是由 TAS2R 基因介导的,这些基因属于七次跨膜 G 蛋白偶联受体的大家族。由于 TAS2Rs 直接参与了哺乳动物与其饮食来源之间的相互作用,因此这些基因很可能在哺乳动物进化过程中进化以反映物种特有的饮食。在这里,我们通过使用培养的细胞表达系统研究了各种灵长类动物的 TAS2R16 的敏感性,发现每种灵长类动物对配体的敏感性各不相同。特别是,日本猕猴 TAS2R16 对水杨素的敏感性明显低于人类 TAS2R16,这一结果得到了行为测试的支持。这些结果表明,不同灵长类动物的 TAS2R 特定氨基酸残基被替换,以适应其使用的食物,苦味敏感性可能是通过这种方式独立进化的。