Comparative genomic analysis of the pheromone receptor Class 1 family (V1R) reveals extreme complexity in mouse lemurs (genus, Microcebus) and a chromosomal hotspot across mammals

Sensory gene families are of special interest, both for what they can tell us about molecular evolution, and for what they imply as mediators of social communication. The vomeronasal type-1 receptors (V1Rs) have often been hypothesized as playing a fundamental role in driving or maintaining species boundaries given their likely function as mediators of intraspecific mate choice, particularly in nocturnal mammals. Here, we employ a comparative genomic approach for revealing patterns of V1R evolution within primates, with a special focus on the small-bodied nocturnal mouse and dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (genera Microcebus and Cheirogaleus, respectively). By doubling the existing genomic resources for strepsirrhine primates (i.e., the lemurs and lorises), we find that the highly speciose and morphologically cryptic mouse lemurs have experienced an elaborate proliferation of V1Rs that we argue is functionally related to their capacity for rapid lineage diversification. Contrary to a previou...

感官基因家族兼具极高的研究价值，既可为分子进化机制解析提供关键启示，也可作为社会交流的介导因子，相关研究意义重大。犁鼻1型受体（vomeronasal type-1 receptors, V1Rs）常被推测在驱动或维持物种界限的过程中发挥基础性作用——鉴于其可能作为种内配偶选择的介导因子，这一功能在夜行性哺乳动物中尤为显著。本研究采用比较基因组学方法，旨在揭示灵长类动物体内V1Rs的进化模式，重点聚焦于马达加斯加体型小巧的夜行性鼠狐猴与倭狐猴（分别隶属于鼠狐猴属*Microcebus*与倭狐猴属*Cheirogaleus*）。通过将原有的原猴亚目灵长类（即狐猴与懒猴）基因组资源扩充一倍，我们发现物种丰富度极高且形态隐存的鼠狐猴类群经历了V1Rs的显著扩增，我们认为这一扩增与其快速谱系分化的能力存在功能关联。与此前的研究结论相悖的是……