A comparative study of insect odorant protein binding (OBP) genes and isolation of a partial OBP gene from coconut red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus F.

摘要

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus F., has become the most important pest of palms in the world. Though the use of pesticides keeps the pest at check, the experience gained during the recent past indicates that improper use of pesticide can cause undesirable side effects. One possible alternative method of pest control could be interference with the specific olfactory signaling pathway. A key component of insect olfactory system is a family of odorant binding proteins (OBPs) which bind to the odorant molecule and form a complex which is capable of activating an odorant receptor. The present study was undertaken to carry out a phylogenetic study of insect OBPs. Based on conserved regions of OBP sequences available in public databases, primers were designed and used to amplify putative odour binding proteins from coconut red palm weevil. Two genomic fragments, which were isolated and sequenced, showed homology to OBPs from other insect species, although at lower levels of identity.