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Journal of Heredity Advance Access originally published online on February 21, 2008
Journal of Heredity 2008 99(2):174-176; doi:10.1093/jhered/esm113
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© The American Genetic Association. 2008. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Brief Communications

Biogenic Trace Amine–Associated Receptors (TAARs) Are Encoded in Avian Genomes: Evidence and Possible Implications

Jakob C. Mueller, Silke Steiger, Andrew E. Fidler, and Bart Kempenaers

From the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Postfach 1564, 82305 Starnberg, Germany (Mueller, Steiger, Fidler, and Kempenaers); and the Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson, New Zealand (Fidler)

Address correspondence to J. C. Mueller at the address above, or e-mail: mueller{at}orn.mpg.de.

Recent studies of mammals and fish indicate that most trace amine–associated receptors (TAARs) may be involved in the detection of volatile biogenic compounds. It has therefore been suggested that this new class of "olfactory" receptors could be highly relevant for social communication and individual recognition. To determine if TAAR orthologues are encoded in avian genomes, we initiated BLAST searches of the Gallus gallus genome and public avian expressed sequence tags databases and performed associated phylogenetic analyses of the TAAR homologues identified. Our results suggest that a minimum of 3 TAAR paralogues are encoded in the G. gallus genome and that these are putative orthologues of the human/mouse genes TAAR1, TAAR2, and TAAR5. It is noteworthy that TAAR5 is activated by compounds that have been found in avian feces. We tentatively suggest that avian TAARs may compensate for the lack of an avian equivalent of the mammalian vomeronasal system and therefore may be important mediators of socially important avian chemical cues.

Corresponding Editor: Stephen Bloom

Received June 22, 2007
Accepted September 9, 2007


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