Aprionagermari(希望)作为一种危险的枯木害虫提出了重大威胁,对森林树木造成重大伤害。研究A.germari的嗅觉感觉系统对于开发生态友好型控制策略具有重要的理论前景。迄今为止,然而,A.germari的嗅觉感知机制在很大程度上仍然未知。因此,我们在四个不同的身体部位进行了germari的转录组测序:触角,前腿骨节,口器(上颌和唇瓣),和腹部终端,精确定位气味结合蛋白(OBP)基因并分析其表达。我们发现八个AgerOBP(5、19、23、25、29、59、63、70)在触角中高表达。在我们的竞争性绑定实验中,AgerOBP23显示出对信息素成分fuscumol乙酸酯的强结合能力,八种植物挥发物(法尼醇,顺式-3-己烯醛,Nerolidol,醋酸肉豆蔻醇,顺式-3-己烯基苯甲酸酯,(-)-α-cedrene,3-乙基苯乙酮,和癸烷),和四种杀虫剂(毒死蜱,辛硫磷,吲哚沙卡威,和氯氰菊酯)。然而,AgerOBP29和AgerOBP63对这些测试的化学物质没有显示出突出的结合活性。通过同源建模和分子对接,我们确定了参与AgerOBP23与这些配体结合过程的关键氨基酸位点,这揭示了其结合特异性背后的分子相互作用。我们的研究表明,AgerOBP23可能是未来AgerOBP配体结合研究的潜在靶标。这种方法符合逆向化学生态学原理,通过进一步探索OBP与各种化合物之间的分子相互作用,为未来研究的重点是引诱剂或驱虫剂的发展奠定基础。
Apriona germari (Hope) presents a significant threat as a dangerous wood-boring pest, inflicting substantial harm to forest trees. Investigating the olfactory sensory system of A. germari holds substantial theoretical promise for developing eco-friendly control strategies. To date, however, the olfactory perception mechanism in A. germari remains largely unknown. Therefore, we performed transcriptome sequencing of A. germari across four distinct body parts: antennae, foreleg tarsal segments, mouthparts (maxillary and labial palps), and abdomen terminals, pinpointing the odorant binding protein (OBP) genes and analyzing their expression. We found eight AgerOBPs (5, 19, 23, 25, 29, 59, 63, 70) highly expressed in the antennae. In our competitive binding experiments, AgerOBP23 showed strong binding abilities to the pheromone component fuscumol acetate, eight plant volatiles (farnesol, cis-3-hexenal, nerolidol, myristol acetate, cis-3-hexenyl benzoate, (-)-α-cedrene, 3-ethylacetophenone, and decane), and four insecticides (chlorpyrifos, phoxim, indoxacarb, and cypermethrin). However, AgerOBP29 and AgerOBP63 did not show prominent binding activities to these tested chemicals. Through homology modeling and molecular docking, we identified the key amino acid sites involved in the binding process of AgerOBP23 to these ligands, which shed light on the molecular interactions underlying its binding specificity. Our study suggests that AgerOBP23 may serve as a potential target for future investigations of AgerOBP ligand binding. This approach is consistent with the reverse chemical ecology principle, establishing the groundwork for future studies focusing on attractant or repellent development by exploring further the molecular interactions between OBP and various compounds.