PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF A PHEROMONE-BINDING PROTEIN FROM ANTHERAEA-PERNYI - HOMOLOGIES WITH OTHER LIGAND-CARRYING PROTEINS

An antennal cDNA clone encoding the complete sequence (163 amino acids) of a pheromone-binding protein precursor from the male silk moth, Antheraea pernyi, was isolated using oligonucleotide probes. The clones cDNA was expressed and the translation product detected by specific antibodies. The deduced protein sequence consists of a signal peptide and 21 amino acid and a mature binding protein of 142 amino acid residues. The predicted structure of this protein is homologous to binding-proteins from different insect species which has previously been identified, but shows no similarities to odorant-binding proteins from vertebrates, suggesting that soluble odorant-binding proteins in insects and vertebrates represent an evolutionary convergence.