Speaker
Description
Olfaction is one of the most ancient sensory modalities that insects rely on both for survival and to interact with the environment. Insects use different types of receptors to detect airborne chemicals, one of them being olfactory receptors (ORs). In winged insects, a functioning OR signaling complex is likely a heterotetramer comprising two different types of subunits: the conserved co-receptor, Orco, and a tuning receptor ORx subunit which provides odorant sensitivity. Recent discoveries shed light on the structural organization of Orco and ORs revealing the key interacting domain between different subunits that form this homomultimeric receptor and the ligand binding site. The location of the ligand binding pocket and the interacting amino acid residues that are responsible for the sensitivity of the receptor are known. However, understanding of the molecular intricacies governing the formation and assembly of functional complexes between the Orco and ORs remains elusive. Our research aims to address this gap by combining phylogenetic analysis of naturally occurring and divergent Orcos, complex modeling, and functional recordings. Specifically, we are elucidating how a highly conserved Orco assembles and forms functional complexes with multiple divergent ORs. By comparing interactions between Orco and a variety of differently tuned ORs, we also aim to identify differential mechanisms underlying complex formation. Overall, this research will deepen our understanding of the precise molecular interactions between the tryptic formed by Orco-ORx complexes and their ligands.
