| Title: | Soluble proteins of chemical communication: an overview across arthropods |
| Author(s): | Pelosi P; Iovinella I; Felicioli A; Dani FR; |
| Address: | "State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China. Biology Department, University of Firenze Firenze, Italy. Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa Pisa, Italy. Biology Department, University of Firenze Firenze, Italy ; CISM, Mass Spectrometry Centre, University of Firenze Firenze, Italy" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1664-042X (Print) 1664-042X (Electronic) 1664-042X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Detection of chemical signals both in insects and in vertebrates is mediated by soluble proteins, highly concentrated in olfactory organs, which bind semiochemicals and activate, with still largely unknown mechanisms, specific chemoreceptors. The same proteins are often found in structures where pheromones are synthesized and released, where they likely perform a second role in solubilizing and delivering chemical messengers in the environment. A single class of soluble polypeptides, called Odorant-Binding Proteins (OBPs) is known in vertebrates, while two have been identified in insects, OBPs and CSPs (Chemosensory Proteins). Despite their common name, OBPs of vertebrates bear no structural similarity with those of insects. We observed that in arthropods OBPs are strictly limited to insects, while a few members of the CSP family have been found in crustacean and other arthropods, where however, based on their very limited numbers, a function in chemical communication seems unlikely. The question we address in this review is whether another class of soluble proteins may have been adopted by other arthropods to perform the role of OBPs and CSPs in insects. We propose that lipid-transporter proteins of the Niemann-Pick type C2 family could represent likely candidates and report the results of an analysis of their sequences in representative species of different arthropods" |
| Keywords: | Insect olfaction Niemann-Pick type C2 proteins arthropod chemoreception basal hexapods chemosensory proteins odorant-binding proteins; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEPelosi, Paolo Iovinella, Immacolata Felicioli, Antonio Dani, Francesca R eng Review Switzerland 2014/09/16 Front Physiol. 2014 Aug 27; 5:320. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00320. eCollection 2014" |
