Rat_olfactory_transcriptome

The olfactory gene repertoire is largely species-specific, shaped by the nature and necessity of chemosensory information for survival in each species’ niche. We are intrigued by this interspecific variation and aim to investigate the olfactory transcriptome across mammals. The rat is the best candidate species to start a comparative study because of its phylogenetic proximity to mice, because it has a similar biology, a similar but not identical olfactory receptor repertoire and a well annotated genome. Thus, analysing the olfactory transcriptome of the rat will serve both as the first step and as a proof of concept for the pan-mammalian comparative analysis we aim to do.