Abstract:  【Aim】 To identify the gustatory receptor (GR) family genes of Anopheles sinensis at the whole genome level, analyze the structure and characteristics of the GR gene family members, and predict the possible biological functions of the GR family members, so as to provide an information framework for the GR family genes of An. sinensis. 【Methods】 Using the known GR amino acid sequences of An. gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Drosophila melanogaster downloaded from NCBI and Vectorbase databases as inquiry sequences, the GR family genes of An. sinensis were searched and identified at the whole genome level by Blast and HMM methods and named. Using bioinformatics methods, the basic characteristics (physicochemical properties, gene structure and genome localization), conservative domains and Ka/Ks ratios of the GR genes in An. sinensis were predicted. Using MEGA software and maximum likelihood (ML) method, a phylogenetic tree of proteins encoded by the GR genes of An. sinensis and An. gambiae was constructed.【Results】 A total of 54 GR genes were screened and identified in the genome of An. sinensis. According to the classification of An. gambiae and phylogenetic relationship, AsGRs of An. sinensis were divided into four subfamilies of CO₂ receptor, bitter receptor, sugar receptor and pheromone receptor, with 3, 40, 6 and 5 receptors, respectively. CO₂ receptors and sugar receptors were clustered into a single branch, pheromone receptors were clustered into a single branch, and bitter receptors were scattered throughout the phylogenetic tree. The 54 GR genes of An. sinensis were located on the chromosomes Chr.1 and Chr.2. The amino acid numbers of AsGRs are 128-3 429, with the molecular weight of 14.85-397.08 kD, the theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of 5.16-9.84, and the hydrophilicity index (GRAVY) of between -0.023-0.838. The exons of the 54 An. sinensis AsGR genes ranged from 1 to 23, with a wide range. The Ka/Ks ratios of most of the direct homologous gene pairs between An. sinensis and An. gambiae were less than 1, indicating that the GR family genes of An. sinensis were mainly affected by purification selection during the evolutionary process. 【Conclusion】 This study conducted genome-wide identification and characteristic analysis of the GR family genes of An. sinensis, enriching the genome database of An. sinensis and laying a certain foundation for subsequent functional research on the GR genes of An. sinensis.

Key words: Anopheles sinensis, gustatory receptor, genome-wide identification, gene characteristics, phylogeny