| Title: | A Drosophila protein family implicated in pheromone perception is related to Tay-Sachs GM2-activator protein |
| Author(s): | Starostina E; Xu A; Lin H; Pikielny CW; |
| Address: | "Department of Genetics and the Neuroscience Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755; Department of Genetics and the Neuroscience Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755. Department of Genetics and the Neuroscience Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755; Department of Genetics and the Neuroscience Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755. Electronic address: CWP@Dartmouth.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0021-9258 (Print) 1083-351X (Electronic) 0021-9258 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Low volatility, lipid-like cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones produced by Drosophila melanogaster females play an essential role in triggering and modulating mating behavior, but the chemosensory mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Recently, we showed that the CheB42a protein, which is expressed in only 10 pheromone-sensing taste hairs on the front legs of males, modulates progression to late stages of male courtship behavior in response to female-specific cuticular hydrocarbons. Here we report that expression of all 12 genes in the CheB gene family is predominantly or exclusively gustatory-specific, and occurs in many different, often non-overlapping patterns. Only the Gr family of gustatory receptor genes displays a comparable variety of gustatory-specific expression patterns. Unlike Grs, however, expression of all but one CheB gene is sexually dimorphic. Like CheB42a, other CheBs may therefore function specifically in gustatory perception of pheromones. We also show that CheBs belong to the ML superfamily of lipid-binding proteins, and are most similar to human GM2-activator protein (GM2-AP). In particular, GM2-AP residues involved in ligand binding are conserved in CheBs but not in other ML proteins. Finally, CheB42a is specifically secreted into the inner lumen of pheromone-sensing taste hairs, where pheromones interact with membrane-bound receptors. We propose that CheB proteins interact directly with lipid-like Drosophila pheromones and modulate their detection by the gustatory signal transduction machinery. Furthermore, as loss of GM2-AP in Tay-Sachs disease prevents degradation of GM2 gangliosides and results in neurodegeneration, the function of CheBs in pheromone response may involve biochemical mechanisms critical for lipid metabolism in human neurons" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Drosophila Proteins/genetics/*metabolism Drosophila melanogaster Female G(M2) Activator Protein/genetics/metabolism Gangliosidoses, GM2/genetics/metabolism Humans Lipid Metabolism/genetics Male Multigene Family/*physiology Pheromones/genetics/*met;neuroscience;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineStarostina, Elena Xu, Aiguo Lin, Heping Pikielny, Claudio W eng 76200-560801/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/ R01DC007911/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01DC04284/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2008/10/28 J Biol Chem. 2009 Jan 2; 284(1):585-594. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M806474200. Epub 2008 Oct 24" |
