Conserved Odorant-Binding Proteins from Aphids and Eavesdropping Predators
2011
Conserved Odorant-Binding Proteins from Aphids and Eavesdropping Predators
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Vandermoten Sophie, Francis Frédéric, Haubruge Eric, Leal Walter S.
Primary Institution: University of Liege, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux, Belgium
Hypothesis
Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) have conserved regions involved in binding (E)-ß-farnesene.
Conclusion
The study found that OBPs from aphids and their predators are highly conserved and specifically bind (E)-ß-farnesene.
Supporting Evidence
- The study demonstrated that OBPs from different insect orders have high amino acid identity.
- Both SaveOBP3 and EbalOBP3 specifically bind (E)-ß-farnesene with high affinity.
- This is the first evidence that prey and predators utilize conserved olfactory proteins for recognizing a common chemical signal.
Takeaway
Aphids and their predators use similar proteins to detect the same chemical signals, which helps them communicate and find each other.
Methodology
The researchers cloned OBP genes from aphids and their predators, expressed the proteins, and tested their binding affinities to (E)-ß-farnesene.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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