Characterization of TRPC2, an Essential Genetic Component of VNS Chemoreception, Provides Insights into the Evolution of Pheromonal Olfaction in Secondary-Adapted Marine Mammals

Pheromones are chemical cues released and sensed by individuals of the same species, which are of major importance in regulating reproductive and social behaviors of mammals. Generally, they are detected by the vomeronasal system (VNS). Here, we first investigated and compared an essential genetic component of vomeronasal chemoreception, that is, TRPC2 gene, of four marine mammals varying the degree of aquatic specialization and related terrestrial species in order to provide insights into the evolution of pheromonal olfaction in the mammalian transition from land to water. Our results based on sequence characterizations and evolutionary analyses, for the first time, show the evidence for the ancestral impairment of vomeronasal pheromone signal transduction pathway in fully aquatic cetaceans, supporting a reduced or absent dependence on olfaction as a result of the complete adaptation to the marine habitat, whereas the amphibious California sea lion was found to have a putatively functional TRPC2 gene, which is still under strong selective pressures, reflecting the reliance of terrestrial environment on chemical recognition among the semiadapted marine mammals. Interestingly, our study found that, unlike that of the California sea lion, TRPC2 genes of the harbor seal and the river otter, both of which are also semiaquatic, are pseudogenes. Our data suggest that other unknown selective pressures or sensory modalities might have promoted the independent absence of a functional VNS in these two species. In this respect, the evolution of pheromonal olfaction in marine mammals appears to be more complex and confusing than has been previously thought. Our study makes a useful contribution to the current understanding of the evolution of pheromone perception of mammals in response to selective pressures from an aquatic environment.

哺乳动物犁鼻器信息素感知及犁鼻器系统特异基因的分子进化研究进展

生物对外界环境中化学物质信号的识别和感知对其生存有着极其重要的意义.大多数哺乳动物具有两条嗅觉通路,主要嗅觉系统(MOS)用来感受普通嗅觉信号,而犁鼻器系统(VNS)则从异常灵敏的程度来识别小范围内特异性的化学感应信号-信息素(pheromone).信息素是一类在同种内个体间传递的物质,可引发群体内与个体交流和生殖相关的一系列生理和行为变化.本文综述了对哺乳动物犁鼻器信息素感知及犁鼻器系统特异(VNS-specific)基因的分子进化研究进展,这些基因包括信息素受体家族V1R和V2R以及离子通道TRPC2,为进一步深入研究哺乳动物信息素感知的分子机制奠定基础。

岷江上游杂谷脑流域景观可视化初探

在空间数据(包括数字高程模型和景观类型图)的支持下,采用景观可视化软件VisualNatureStudio(VNS)2.0对岷江上游杂谷脑流域的景观进行了可视化研究,研究结果比较直观地再现了该流域主要的景观类型,包括林地、灌木、果园、草地和耕地,为流域的管理提供了一种全新的管理工具;并阐明了景观可视化研究未来的发展趋势,对我国开展这方面的研究具有一定的指导意义。