›› 2011, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (9): 975-981.doi:

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

cDNA cloning and sequence analysis of odorant binding protein OBP3 in Drepanosiphum platanoidis (Homoptera: Drepanosiphidae) and testing of its adult olfactory behavior

 FAN  Jia, Sophie  VANDERMOTEN, Frederic  FRANCIS, LIU  Yong, CHEN  Ju-Lian, CHENG  Deng-Fa   

  • Received:2011-05-03 Online:2011-09-20 Published:2011-09-20
  • Contact: CHEN Ju-Lian, CHENG Deng-Fa E-mail:jlchen@ippcaas.cn; dfcheng@ippcaas.cn
  • About author:E-mail: jiahangyouxiang@163.com

Abstract: ApisOBP3 from Acyrthosiphum pisum was known as its affinity to E-β-farnesene (EBF), and the volatile substances released by Drepanosiphum platanoidis contain no EBF which is a conventional component secreted by most of aphids. In this study, two odorant binding proteins named as DplaOBP3-1 and DplaOBP3-2 sharing high identities (95.8% and 98.32%, respectively) with ApisOBP3 were identified in D. platanoidis. The lengths of coding sequences of both DplaOBP3-1 and DplaOBP3-2 are 426 bp with 69 bp coding for signal peptide at the 5′ end. DplaOBP3-1, DplaOBP3-2 and ApisOBP3 share 6 highly conserved cysteine residues at the same position among sequences. Based on the 3D structure of LmadPBP, a pheromone binding protein from cockroach Leucophaea maderae, we modeled the structures of DplaOBP3-1 and DplaOBP3-2, and all the five hydrophobic amino acids and the aromatic amino acid residue, Tyr84, located in the binding cavity probably participating in interacting with ligands have their counterparts in the structure of ApisOBP3. Further, four-arm olfactometer assay showed that D. platanoidis were significantly repelled by both EBF and crushed aphids (P=0.01). The results suggest that volatiles from fresh crushed bodies could be the intraspecies alarm pheromone in D. platanoidis; D. platanoidis are repelled by allogenetic EBF whereas they never release EBF.

Key words: Drepanosiphum platanoidis, odorant binding protein, alarm pheromone, E-β-farnesene (EBF), cDNA cloning, four-arm olfactometer