石山地区熊猴和猕猴苦味受体的功能差异及其食性适应意义研究

取食适应是石山灵长类研究中比较受关注的问题。同域分布的石山灵长类——熊猴Macaca assamensis和猕猴Macaca mulatta的食物有部分重叠，同时食性也存在着分化：猕猴主要是果食性，而熊猴主要为叶食性，并且熊猴大量取食石山特有植物芸香竹Bonia amplexicaulis的嫩叶。苦味受体在防止动物摄入有毒有害物质中起重要作用，而之前对石山灵长类味觉受体的研究一直处于基因水平，本研究拟从功能验证水平探索石山熊猴和猕猴苦味受体的功能差异，提出以下问题：1、石山熊猴和猕猴苦味受体分别对应哪些配体？2、这两个物种中是否存在直系同源苦味受体基因介导食物中共同的苦味物质识别，而特异性苦味受体识别物种各自遇到的不同苦味物质这样的情况？3、前期研究发现熊猴、猕猴有的苦味受体基因存在2个或多个拷贝，这些不同拷贝的功能是否存在分化？本研究将为揭示石山熊猴和猕猴的取食适应机制提供研究基础。

Feeding adaptation is the main focus of limestone primates research. Food compositions of the two sympatric species---Macaca assamensis and Macaca mulatta are partly overlapped, and meanwhile feeding differentiation exsits between these two species: Macaca mulatta is frugivorous, while Macaca assamensis is folivorous and further it eats massive tender leaves of the limestone endemic species Bonia amplexicaulis. Bitter taste receptor plays an important role in preventing animals from digesting poisonous and harmful substances, and the.previous research mainly focused on the gene level of limestone primate taste receptor. This study intends to explore the functional differences of bitter taste receptors between Macaca assamensis and Macaca mulatta from the functional assay perspective, and we raise the questions as follows:1. Which ligands do bitter taste receptors of Macaca assamensis and Macaca mulatta respond to respectively? 2. Do orthologous bitter taste receptor genes mediate the recognition of bitter substance relevant for both species, whereas the lineage-specific receptors enable the detection of substances differently encountered by Macaca assamensis and Macaca mulatta? 3. In the previous study, we found that some bitter taste receptor genes had 2 or more copies, and whether the copies have functional differentiation? This study will provide research foundation for the feeding adaptation mechanism of Macaca assamensis and Macaca mulatta in the limestone.