Identification of dopamine receptors across the extant avian family tree and analysis with other clades uncovers a polyploid expansion among vertebrates.
Abstract
Dopamine is an important central nervous system transmitter that functions through
two classes of receptors (D1 and D2) to influence a diverse range of biological processes
in vertebrates. With roles in regulating neural activity, behavior, and gene expression,
there has been great interest in understanding the function and evolution dopamine
and its receptors. In this study, we use a combination of sequence analyses, microsynteny
analyses, and phylogenetic relationships to identify and characterize both the D1
(DRD1A, DRD1B, DRD1C, and DRD1E) and D2 (DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4) dopamine receptor gene
families in 43 recently sequenced bird genomes representing the major ordinal lineages
across the avian family tree. We show that the common ancestor of all birds possessed
at least seven D1 and D2 receptors, followed by subsequent independent losses in some
lineages of modern birds. Through comparisons with other vertebrate and invertebrate
species we show that two of the D1 receptors, DRD1A and DRD1B, and two of the D2 receptors,
DRD2 and DRD3, originated from a whole genome duplication event early in the vertebrate
lineage, providing the first conclusive evidence of the origin of these highly conserved
receptors. Our findings provide insight into the evolutionary development of an important
modulatory component of the central nervous system in vertebrates, and will help further
unravel the complex evolutionary and functional relationships among dopamine receptors.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11116Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3389/fnins.2015.00361Publication Info
Haug-Baltzell, Asher; Jarvis, Erich D; McCarthy, Fiona M; & Lyons, Eric (2015). Identification of dopamine receptors across the extant avian family tree and analysis
with other clades uncovers a polyploid expansion among vertebrates. Front Neurosci, 9. pp. 361. 10.3389/fnins.2015.00361. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11116.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Erich David Jarvis
Adjunct Professor in the Deptartment of Neurobiology
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is
placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned
vocalizations. They use an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical,
electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. The main animal model used
is songbirds, one of the few vertebrate groups that evolved the ability to learn vocalizations.
The generality of the discoveries is tested in other vocal lear

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