AUTHOR=Hu Ping , Gao Chenglong , Zong Shixiang , Luo Youqing , Tao Jing 

TITLE=Pheromone Binding Protein EhipPBP1 Is Highly Enriched in the Male Antennae of the Seabuckthorn Carpenterworm and Is Binding to Sex Pheromone Components

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00447

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2018.00447

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The seabuckthorn carpenterworm moth <italic>Eogystia hippophaecolus</italic> is a major threat to seabuckthorn plantations, causing considerable ecological and economic losses in China. Transcriptomic analysis of <italic>E. hippophaecolus</italic> previously identified 137 olfactory proteins, including three pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs). We investigated the function of <italic>E. hippophaecolus</italic> PBP1 by studying its mRNA and protein expression profiles and its binding ability with different compounds. The highest levels of expression were in the antennae, particularly in males, with much lower levels of expression in the legs and external genitals. Recombinant PBP1 showed strong binding to sex-pheromone components, suggesting that antennal EhipPBP1 is involved in binding sex-pheromone components during pheromone communication.</p>