Members of a family of Drosophila putative odorant-binding proteins are expressed in different subsets of olfactory hairs.
A polymerase chain reaction-based method was used to generate a Drosophila melanogaster antennal cDNA library from which head cDNAs were subtracted. We identified five cDNAs that code for antennal proteins containing six cysteines in a conserved pattern shared with known moth antennal proteins, including pheromone-binding proteins. Another cDNA codes for a protein related to vertebrate brain proteins that bind hydrophobic ligands. In all, we describe seven antennal proteins which contain potential signal peptides, suggesting that, like pheromone-binding proteins, they may be secreted in the lumen of olfactory hairs. The expression patterns of these putative odorant-binding proteins define at least four different subsets of olfactory hairs and suggest that the Drosophila olfactory apparatus is functionally segregated.
Pikielny
C W
CW
Howard Hughes Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254.
Hasan
G
G
Rouyer
F
F
Rosbash
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D015723:Gene Library; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009812:Odorants; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; C045648:odorant-binding protein