Trace Amine-Associated Receptors in Giant Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and Mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Abstract

Olfaction is a chemosensory perception important for feeding, reproduction, migration and predator avoidance in teleost. Olfactory signal transduction is initiated by the binding of odorants, which have low volatility or water-soluble properties, such as amino acids, nucleotides, steriods, and prostaglandin, to the olfactory receptor as stimuli. Among the four types of olfactory receptor, trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) are responsible for detecting the trace amine-related molecules. Gnen encoding TAARs in giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and mackerel (Scomber japonicus) included perciformes, commercially valuable species in Asia, were analyzed for deorphanizing TAARs and their interaction with ligands. Nine different clones encoding the TAAR gene were identified from giant grouper and mackerel gDNA and cDNA. To exam the evolutional relationship, phylogenetic tree was constructed and RT-PCR was conducted to exam the tissue-specific espression. RT-PCR and phylogenetic tree analysis indicate that the TAARs in mackerel and giant grouper were involved in the same clade with the other TAARs from teleost and expected to act as olfactory receptor. For functional surface expression of TAAR, nine of TAAR genes were cloned into pMT4 HA-H expression vector modified from pMT4 expression vector.