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Conserved chemosensory proteins in the proboscis and eyes of Lepidoptera
- Source :
- International Journal of Biological Sciences
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are endowed with several different functions besides being carriers for pheromones and odorants. Based on a previous report of a CSP acting as surfactant in the proboscis of the moth Helicoverpa armigera, we revealed the presence of orthologue proteins in two other moths Plutella xylostella and Chilo suppressalis, as well as two butterflies Papilio machaon and Pieris rapae, using immunodetection and proteomic analysis. The unusual conservation of these proteins across large phylogenetic distances indicated a common specific function for these CSPs. This fact prompted us to search for other functions of these proteins and discovered that CSPs are abundantly expressed in the eyes of H. armigera and possibly involved as carriers for carotenoids and visual pigments. This hypothesis is supported by ligand-binding experiments and docking simulations with retinol and β-carotene. This last orange pigment, occurring in many fruits and vegetables, is an antioxidant and the precursor of visual pigments. We propose that structurally related CSPs solubilise nutritionally important carotenoids in the proboscis, while they act as carriers of both β-carotene and its derived products 3-hydroxyretinol and 3-hydroxyretinal in the eye. The use of soluble olfactory proteins, such as CSPs, as carriers for visual pigments in insects, here reported for the first time, parallels the function of retinol-binding protein in vertebrates, a lipocalin structurally related to vertebrate odorant-binding proteins.
- Subjects :
- Proteomics
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Pieris rapae
Moths
Helicoverpa armigera
Eye
Receptors, Odorant
01 natural sciences
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
03 medical and health sciences
Botany
Proboscis
Animals
Molecular Biology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Vision
Chemosensory protein
Papilio machaon
Lepidoptera
Odorant-binding protein
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology
biology
fungi
biology.organism_classification
010602 entomology
030104 developmental biology
Biochemistry
Sex pheromone
Proteome
biology.protein
Insect Proteins
Research Paper
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International Journal of Biological Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0c332ce38338138317aeab0dae7647f8