U.S. researchers have found how proteins link pheromones and nerve cells in an insect's brain to direct some behaviors, such as feeding and mating.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discovered how the olfactory binding proteins, or OBPs, link incoming pheromone signals and specific nerve cells in an insect's brain, which in turn translate those signals into behaviors when the insect comes into contact with other creatures.
The findings suggest olfactory binding proteins may become new targets for synthetic chemicals that could trick insects such as mosquitoes into traps or could function as repellents, said Dean Smith, senior author of the study.
Humans give off chemical signals that attract mosquitoes, the insects responsible for spreading malaria, which kills up to 3 million people each year.
"We've known about OBPs for 20 years, but until now their function and significance was unclear," Smith said.
The researchers found in 1998 that an OBP in fruit flies is required for olfactory neurons to detect a certain pheromone. Mutant flies lacking the gene that codes for the protein were unable to detect the pheromone and did not display the behavior associated with its detection.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
