title: The major antennal chemosensory protein of red imported fire ant workers.
abstract: Some chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are expressed in insect sensory appendages and are thought to be involved in chemical signalling by ants. We identified 14 unique CSP sequences in expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. One member of this group (Si-CSP1) is highly expressed in worker antennae, suggesting an olfactory function. A shotgun proteomic analysis of antennal proteins confirmed the high level of Si-CSP1 expression, and also showed expression of another CSP and two odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). We cloned and expressed the coding sequence for Si-CSP1. We used cyclodextrins as solubilizers to investigate ligand binding. Fire ant cuticular lipids strongly inhibited Si-CSP1 binding to the fluorescent dye N-phenyl-naphthylamine, suggesting cuticular substances are ligands for Si-CSP1. Analysis of the cuticular lipids showed that the endogenous ligands of Si-CSP1 are not cuticular hydrocarbons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McMahan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Haskins
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sponsel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cassill
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Renthal
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003505:Cyclodextrins / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012919:Social Behavior; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D003505:Cyclodextrins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008024:Ligands; D011994:Recombinant Proteins