Odorant binding protein diversity and distribution among the insect orders, as indicated by LAP, an OBP-related protein of the true bug Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera, Heteroptera).

Insect odorant binding proteins (OBPs) are thought to deliver odors to olfactory receptors, and thus may be the first biochemical step in odor reception capable of some level of odor discrimination. OBPs have been identified from numerous species of several insect orders, including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera; all are holometabolous insects belonging to the monophyletic division of insects known as the Endopterygota. Recently, an antennal protein with OBP-like properties was identified from Lygus lineolaris, a hemipteran insect representing the Hemipteroid Assemblage, a sister division to the Endopterygota. The full length sequence of Lygus antennal protein (LAP) is presented in this report. In situ hybridization analysis revealed LAP expression in cell clusters associating with olfactory sensilla; expression was adult-specific, initiating in developing adult tissue during the transitional period that precedes the actual adult molt. Sequence analysis confirmed that LAP is homologous with the OBP-related protein family, and most similar to the OS-E and OS-F proteins of Drosophila, the ABPX proteins of Lepidoptera and the OBPRP proteins of the Coleoptera. Assuming that the OBP-related proteins represent one homologous family, the identification of LAP significantly expands the phylogenetic depth of that family and its underlying role in odor detection to encompass all members of the Endopterygota and Hemipteroid Assemblage, which comprise >90% of all insect species.