Structural aspects of sexual attraction and chemical communication in insects.
In the animal kingdom, the relationship between individuals and the environment is often modulated by chemical communication. In the olfaction of insects, small antennary proteins--such as odorant- and pheromone-binding proteins (OBPs and PBPs, respectively) and chemosensory proteins (CSP)--have been proposed to carry their ligand from the air-fluid interface to the olfactory receptors. Binding experiments and recent structural studies of three PBPs, an OBP and a CSP have illustrated their versatility and ability to accommodate ligands of different shapes and chemical structures. The role of these proteins--as simple transporters or receptor triggers--is still a matter of debate, but some recent data seem to support the latter.
Tegoni
Mariella
M
Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, UMR 6098 CNRS and Universités Aix-Marseille I & II, 31 Ch. Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
Campanacci
Valérie
V
Cambillau
Christian
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007313:Insecta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D043563:Receptors, Pheromone / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017385:Sequence Homology; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000502:physiology*
C435672:CSPMbraA6 protein, Mamestra brassicae; D019476:Insect Proteins; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D043563:Receptors, Pheromone; D012724:Sex Attractants