Variations in gene expression patterns represent a powerful source of evolutionary innovation. In a rodent living about 70 million years ago, a genomic accident led an immune formyl peptide receptor (FPR) gene to hijack a vomeronasal receptor regulatory sequence. This gene shuffling event forced an immune pathogen sensor to transition into an olfactory chemoreceptor, which thus moved from sensing the internal world to probing the outside world. We here discuss the evolution of the FPR gene family, the events that led to their neofunctionalization in the vomeronasal organ and the functions of immune and vomeronasal FPRs.

中文翻译：

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从免疫到嗅觉表达：甲酰肽受体的新功能化

基因表达模式的变化代表了进化创新的强大来源。在生活在大约 7000 万年前的啮齿动物中，基因组事故导致免疫甲酰肽受体 (FPR) 基因劫持犁鼻受体调节序列。这种基因改组事件迫使免疫病原体传感器转变为嗅觉化学感受器，从而从感知内部世界转向探测外部世界。我们在这里讨论 FPR 基因家族的进化、导致它们在犁鼻器官中新功能化的事件以及免疫和犁鼻 FPR 的功能。