Abstract:  As the first participant in the olfactory system, olfactory binding proteins are mainly expressed in the hemolymph of peripheral olfactory system and play roles in recognizing, binding and transporting odors or pheromones to odor receptors. In recent years, with the application of novel modern biological technology, more olfactory binding proteins have been identified, and their diverse functions have been revealed. In this article, we summarized the research progress in the molecular characteristics, structure, functions and application of olfactory binding proteins in recent years. Generally, olfactory binding proteins are classified into three families, odorantbinding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and Niemann-Pick type C2 proteins (NPC2). Based on the α-helix and β-sheet, olfactory binding proteins form stable globular structure, which is beneficial for them to adapt to a variety of environments and tasks. And diverse functions of olfactory binding proteins are particularly important for insect physiology and behavior. Nowadays, olfactory binding proteins are used in biological control, variety selection and breeding, biosensor making, and so on. This review provides references and some new ideas for further research on olfactory binding proteins in insects.

Key words: Insect, olfaction, odorant-binding proteins, chemosensory proteins, Niemann-Pick type C2 proteins, protein structure, biological control