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Molecular Cloning and in Situ Expression Patterns of Two New Pheromone-Binding Proteins from the Corn Stemborer Sesamia nonagrioides

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Abstract

We describe the identification and characterization of two new cDNAs encoding pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) from the male antennae of Sesamia nonagrioides, a species where no PBPs have been identified to date. Because PBPs are thought to participate in the first step of odor detection in a specific manner, we focused our investigation on this olfactory protein family using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction strategies. The deduced amino acid sequences of SnonPBP1 and SnonPBP2 revealed mature proteins of 142 and 143 amino acids, respectively, with six cysteine residues in conserved positions relative to other known PBPs. The alignment of the two mature S. nonagrioides PBPs with other noctuid PBPs showed high sequence identity (70–80%) with other full-length sequences from GenBank. Sequence identity between SnonPBP1 and SnonPBP2 was only 46%, suggesting that the two proteins belong to different classes of PBPs already described from the Noctuidae. Furthermore, analyses of expression patterns of SnonPBP1 and SnonPBP2 were performed by in situ hybridization on antennae of both sexes, and these studies revealed the expression of the two PBPs at the bases of olfactory sensilla (basiconica or trichodea) from both sexes. The possible binding properties of these two new PBPs are discussed according to their homologies with other known PBPs and S. nonagrioides pheromone components.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by INRA, by the Integrated Action Program GALILEO no. 06914YG (Egide, France), and by a Marie Curie fellowship to F. de Santis. We are grateful to Chiaraluce Moretti and Roberto Bonaurio (DSAA-Patologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia) for useful suggestions.

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  1. Federica de Santis

    Present address: DSAA-Entomologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 06121, Perugia, Italy

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR UPMC-INRA-INAPG «Physiologie de l'insecte: signalisation et communication», Centre INRA, Route de Saint-Cyr, 78026, Versailles, Cedex, France

    Federica de Santis, Marie-Christine François, Christine Merlin, Julien Pelletier, Martine Maïbèche-Coisné & Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly

  2. DSAA-Entomologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 06121, Perugia, Italy

    Eric Conti

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  1. Federica de Santis
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Correspondence to Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly.

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de Santis, F., François, MC., Merlin, C. et al. Molecular Cloning and in Situ Expression Patterns of Two New Pheromone-Binding Proteins from the Corn Stemborer Sesamia nonagrioides . J Chem Ecol 32, 1703–1717 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9103-2

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