Biochemical characterization, molecular cloning and localization of a putative odorant-binding protein in the honey bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidea)

A honey bee antennal mater-soluble protein, APS2, was purified and characterized as the first Hymenoptera putative odorant-binding protein, Comparison of its measured M-r (13 695.2 +/- 1.6) to that of the corresponding cDNA clone shoes it does not undergo any post-translational modification other than a 19-residue signal peptide cleavage and formation of three disulfide bridges, These biochemical features are close to those of Lepidoptera odorant-binding proteins, In situ hybridization experiments demonstrated its specific expression in olfactory areas, Based on its higher expression in the worker than in the drone, ASP2 might be more involved in general odorant than in sex pheromone detection. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.