Functional analysis on novel pheromone receptor gene ancV1R, which is shared among most vertebrates

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H04820
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Evolutionary biology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Nikaido Masato 東京工業大学, 生命理工学院, 准教授 (70432010)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 廣田 順二 東京工業大学, バイオ研究基盤支援総合センター, 准教授 (60405339)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: V1R / pheromone receptor / vertebrates / evolution

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We found a novel pheromone receptor gene belonging to the V1R family, named ancV1R, which is shared among most Osteichthyes (bony vertebrates) from the basal lineage of ray-finned fishes to mammals. Phylogenetic and syntenic analyses of ancV1R using 115 vertebrate genomes revealed that it represents an orthologous gene conserved for >400 million years of vertebrate evolution. Interestingly, the loss of ancV1R in some tetrapods is coincident with the degeneration of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in higher primates, cetaceans, and some reptiles including birds and crocodilians. In addition, ancV1R is expressed in most mature vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) in contrast with canonical V1Rs, which are sparsely expressed in a manner that is consistent with the “one neuron one receptor” rule. Our results imply that a previously undescribed V1R gene inherited from an ancient Silurian ancestor may have played an important functional role in the evolution of vertebrate VNO.

Free Research Field

進化生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、ほぼ全ての脊椎動物がもつフェロモン受容体遺伝子ancV1Rを発見し、その進化解析をすることで機能を推定した。そもそもフェロモン受容体はそれぞれの種に特異的であり、種間の共通性は低いと考えられていたが、ancV1Rはその予想に反し、驚くべき共通性を保持していた。この研究はこれまでのフェロモン受容体に関するいくつかの常識を覆したため、学術的価値は高い。またancV1Rが、今後の畜産動物の効率的な繁殖管理方法の開発にもつながると期待され社会的な意義も大きいと考えている。