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PMID: 12908129 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Natural selection on the olfactory receptor gene family in humans and chimpanzees.

American journal of human genetics ·Vol. 73 ·No. 3 ·2003-09-00 ·Pages 489-501

Gilad Y, Bustamante CD, Lancet D, Pääbo S

Abstract

The olfactory receptor (OR) genes constitute the largest gene family in mammalian genomes. Humans have >1,000 OR genes, of which only approximately 40% have an intact coding region and are therefore putatively functional. In contrast, the fraction of intact OR genes in the genomes of the great apes is significantly greater (68%-72%), suggesting that selective pressures on the OR repertoire vary among these species. We have examined the evolutionary forces that shaped the OR gene family in humans and chimpanzees by resequencing 20 OR genes in 16 humans, 16 chimpanzees, and one orangutan. We compared the variation at the OR genes with that at intergenic regions. In both humans and chimpanzees, OR pseudogenes seem to evolve neutrally. In chimpanzees, patterns of variability are consistent with purifying selection acting on intact OR genes, whereas, in humans, there is suggestive evidence for positive selection acting on intact OR genes. These observations are likely due to differences in lifestyle, between humans and great apes, that have led to distinct sensory needs.

MeSH Terms
Animals Humans Molecular Sequence Data Multigene Family Pan troglodytes/genetics Receptors, Odorant/genetics Selection, Genetic
Chemicals
Receptors, Odorant
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Gilad Yoav
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. [email protected]
Bustamante Carlos D
Lancet Doron
Pääbo Svante
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Article Info
Journal
American journal of human genetics
Abbr.
Am J Hum Genet
ISSN
0002-9297
DOI
10.1086/378132
Email
[email protected]
Published
2003-09-00
Epub
2003-00-07
Pages
489-501
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0370475
PMCID
PMC1180675
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
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PubMed source DOI: 10.1086/378132 PMC Full Text View journal details
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