Olfaction pheromones

Dickens, J. C. and Payne, T. L. (1977) Bark beetle olfaction Pheromone receptor system in Dendroctonus frontalis. J. insect. Physiol., 23, 481-9. 

The other major class of extracellular LBPs of mammals is the lipocalins (Flower, 1996). These are approximately 20 kDa, P-sheet-rich proteins, performing functions such as the transport of retinol in plasma or milk, the capture of odorants in olfaction, invertebrate coloration, dispersal of pheromones, and solubilizing the lipids in tears (Flower, 1996). The retinol-binding protein (RBP) of human plasma is found in association with a larger protein, transthyretin, the complex being larger than the kidney threshold and thus not excreted, although the RBP itself may dissociate from the complex to interact with cell surface receptors in the delivery of retinol (Papiz et al., 1986 Sundaram et al., 1998). 

Whereas the role of olfaction in chemical ecology is gaining increased attention, new bioanalytical methodologies and instrumentation provide unprecedented opportunities besides the structural elucidation of pheromones and other chemosignals,... 

Beauchamp, G.K., Doty, R.L., Moulton, D.G. and Mugford, R.A. (1976) The pheromone concept in mammalian chemical communication. In Doty R.L. (Ed.), Mammalian Olfaction, Reproductive Processes and Behaviour. Academic Press, New York, pp 143-160. 

After considering the evolutionary origins of the olfactory system and some basic principles of olfaction, this brief review examines one of the most extensively studied examples of neural processing of semiochemical information the sex pheromone-specific olfactory subsystem in male moths. This male-specific subsystem can be viewed as representing an exaggeration of organizational principles and functional mechanisms that are characteristic of olfactory systems in general. 

Figure 12.7 Effector mechanism opening or dosing of an ion channel. The binding of the hormone opens an ion channel. The link between the receptor and the ion channel may be via a messenger molecule that causes a conformational change in one of the proteins in the channel or may be via phosphorylation of one of the proteins in the channel. An example of opening an ion channel is that of a pheromone on a sensory cell in the olfaction epithelium (see below).

The enonnous size of the perfume industry suggests a relationship between olfaction and, hence pheromones, and social activity and sexnal stimnlation. 

Kowcun A., Honson N. and Plettner E. (2001) Olfaction in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, effect of pH, ionic strength, and reductants on pheromone transport by pheromonebinding proteins. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 44770 -4776. 

Kaissling K.-E. (2001b) Possible functions of pheromone binding proteins in Bombyx mori and Anthearaea polyphemus. 7th European Symposium on Insect Taste and Olfaction (ESITO), Villasimius (Cagliari), Italy, pp. 6-7. 

Kaissling K.-E. (1986) Temporal characteristics of pheromone receptor cell responses in relation to orientation behaviour of moths. In Mechanisms in Insect Olfaction, eds T. L. Payne, M. C. Birch and C. E. J. Kennedy, pp. 193-199. Oxford University Press, New York. 

Prestwich G. D. and Du G. (1997) Pheromone-binding proteins, pheromone recognition, and signal transduction in moth olfaction. In Insect Pheromone Research, New Directions, eds R. T. Carde and A. K. Minks, pp. 131-143. Chapman and Hall, New York. 

Pheromones are powerful modulators of insect behavior. Since the isolation and identification of the first pheromone, (10E, 12Z)-hexadec-10,12-dien-l-ol, the sex attractant of the silk moth Bombyx mori, thousands of other insect pheromones have been identified. Our understanding of the sensory apparatus required for pheromone detection has also increased significantly. Coincidentally, B. mori was instrumental in many of these advances (see below). Volatile pheromones are detected by a specialized olfactory system localized on the antennae. The precise recognition of species-specific nuances in the structure and composition of pheromone components is essential for effective pheromone-based communication. The pheromone olfactory system of species studied so far exhibits remarkable selectivity towards the species-specific pheromone blend. Pheromones are emitted in low (fg-pg) quantities and are dispersed and greatly diluted in air plumes. Thus, pheromone olfaction systems are among the most sensitive chemosensory systems known. (Schneider et al., 1968). This chapter summarizes efforts (particularly over the past 10 years) to understand the molecular basis for the remarkable selectivity and sensitivity of the pheromone olfactory system in insects. The chapter will also outline efforts to design compounds that interfere with one or more of the early events in olfaction. 

Table 16.1 Studies of pheromone olfactory systems. This table does not include data on general olfaction... 

PBPs and OBPs are the first molecular component of the olfactory system to interact with volatile compounds absorbed from the air stream. This step is essential for olfaction, because odorants and pheromones have very low solubility in the lymph. Replacement of the lymph with buffer results in loss of... 

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