Odorant binding proteins in insects英文文献.pdfVIP

Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Vol. II1B, No. 3, pp. 503-514, 1995 ~ Pergamon Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain 0305-0491/95 $9.50 + 0.00 0305-0491(95)00019-4 Odorant-binding proteins in insects Paolo Pelosi and Rosario Maida Istituto di Industrie Agrarie, Via S. Michele 4, 56124 Pisa, Italy This paper reviews the characteristics of pheromone and odorant-binding proteins (OBP) in insects, with particular reference to Lepidoptera. They are small (15 kDa) soluble proteins, very concentrated in the lymph of chemosensory sensilla and belonging to two major classes, pheromone-binding proteins (PBP) and general odorant-binding proteins. They represent the insect equivalent of vertebrate OBP. The main unsolved question with OBP of insects and vertebrates regards their physiological role in olfactory transduction. The recent discovery of several types of OBP in the same animal species suggests that these proteins may be involved in the discrimination of odours. Key words: Olfaction; Pheromones; General odorants; Pheromone-binding proteins; General odorant-binding proteins; Insects, Lepidoptera. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. l llB, 503-514, 1995. Introduction The perception of pheromones and general pheromone perception system of insects could odours in insects has been the object of intens