Odorant-binding proteins in insects

Our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that mediate chemoreception in insects has been greatly improved after the discovery of olfactory and taste receptor proteins. However, after 50 years of the discovery of first insect sex pheromone from the silkmoth Bombyx mori, it is still unclear how hydrophobic compounds reach the dendrites of sensory neurons in vivo across aqueous space and interact with the sensory receptors. The presence of soluble polypeptides in high concentration in the lymph of chemosensilla still poses unanswered questions. More than two decades after their discovery and despite the wealth of structural and biochemical information available, the physiological function of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) is not well understood. Here, I review the structural properties of different subclasses of insect OBPs and their binding to pheromones and other small ligands. Finally, I discuss current ideas and models on the role of such proteins in insect chemoreception.