ArticleMolecular biology and evolution2010
Pseudogenization of the umami taste receptor gene Tas1r1 in the giant panda coincided with its dietary switch to bamboo.
Article in Molecular biology and evolution, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 97 papers.
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97 citing papers in PubMed, 201 citations in OpenAlex.
- On the Origin and Evolution of Sweet Taste Mediated by Tas1r2-Tas1r3 in Vertebrates.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Retention of Sweet Taste in Sirenians Reflects Ecological Adaptation in Marine Mammals.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Hyper-specialized primates possess a reduced suite of xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochrome P450 genes.Molecular phylogenetics and evolution · 2026Article
- Pseudogenes document protracted parallel regression of oral anatomy in myrmecophagous mammals.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
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- A gene-based pangenome reveals genomic divergence and altitudinal differentiation in allotetraploid quinoa.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Article
- Relaxation of selective constraint on the sweet-taste receptor gene TAS1R2 in lorisiform primates.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Chromosome-scale Genomes Show Rapid Diversification and Ancient Gene Flow Among Bear Species.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Comparative genomic analysis of immune-related genes and chemosensory receptors provides insights into the evolution and adaptation of four major domesticated Asian carps.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Unexpected loss of TAS1R1-TAS1R3 umami taste receptor function in carnivorous Lyncodontini mustelids.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Taste receptors and their ecological niches: cats, dogs, and other vertebrates.Chemical senses · 2025Review
- Grazing-Induced Habitat Degradation: Challenges to Giant Panda Survival Resulting from Declining Bamboo and Soil Quality.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Cross-kingdom regulation of gene expression in giant pandas via plant-derived miRNA.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
- Whole Genome Analysis Reveals Evolutionary History and Introgression Events in Bale Monkeys.Genes · 2024Article
- L-Glutamate Regulates Npy via the mGluR4-CaInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Pseudogenes in plasmid genomes reveal past transitions in plasmid mobility.Nucleic acids research · 2024Article
- Diversity and evolution of the vertebrate chemoreceptor gene repertoire.Nature communications · 2024Article
- A chromosome-level genome of electric catfish (Marine life science & technology · 2024Article
- Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses reveal the mechanism of easy acceptance of artificial pelleted diets during food habit domestication in Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Birth-and-death evolution of ribonuclease 9 genes in Cetartiodactyla.Science China. Life sciences · 2023Article
37 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a vegetarian with 99% of its diet being bamboo. The draft genome sequence of the giant panda shows that its umami taste receptor gene Tas1r1 is a pseudogene, prompting the proposal that the loss of the umami perception explains why the giant panda is herbivorous. To test this hypothesis, we sequenced all six exons of Tas1r1 in another individual of the giant panda and five other carnivores. We found that the open reading frame (ORF) of Tas1r1 is intact in all these carnivores except the giant panda. The rate ratio (ω) of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions in Tas1r1 is significantly higher for the giant panda lineage than for other carnivore lineages. Based on the ω change and the observed number of ORF-disrupting substitutions, we estimated that the functional constraint on the giant panda Tas1r1 was relaxed ∼ 4.2 Ma, with its 95% confidence interval between 1.3 and 10 Ma. Our estimate matches the approximate date of the giant panda's dietary switch inferred from fossil records. It is probable that the giant panda's decreased reliance on meat resulted in the dispensability of the umami taste, leading to Tas1r1 pseudogenization, which in turn reinforced its herbivorous life style because of the diminished attraction of returning to meat eating in the absence of Tas1r1. Nonetheless, additional factors are likely involved because herbivores such as cow and horse still retain an intact Tas1r1.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.