Genome-wide analysis of the odorant-binding protein gene family in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Olfaction is of considerable importance to many insects in behaviors critical for survival and reproduction, including location of food sources, selection of mates, recognition of colony con-specifics, and determination of oviposition sites. An ubiquitous, but poorly understood, component of the insect's olfactory system is a group of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) that are present at high concentrations in the aqueous lymph surrounding the dendrites of olfactory receptor neurons. OBPs are believed to shuttle odorants from the environment to the underlying odorant receptors, for which they could potentially serve as odorant presenters. Here we show that the Drosophila genome carries 51 potential OBP genes, a number comparable to that of its odorant-receptor genes. We find that the majorit

SUBMITTER: Hekmat-Scafe DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC186648 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature