The Odorant-Binding Proteins of the Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

Spider mites are one of the major agricultural pests, feeding on a large variety of plants. As a contribution to understanding chemical communication in these arthropods, we have characterized a recently discovered class of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) in Tetranychus urticae. As in other species of Chelicerata, the four OBPs of T. urticae contain six conserved cysteines paired in a pattern (C1–C6, C2–C3, C4–C5) differing from that of insect counterparts (C1–C3, C2–C5, C4–C6). Proteomic analysis uncovered a second family of OBPs, including twelve members that are likely to be unique to T. urticae. A three-dimensional model of TurtOBP1, built on the recent X-ray structure of Varroa destructor OBP1, shows protein folding different from that of insect OBPs, although with some common features. Ligand-binding experiments indicated some affinity to coniferyl aldehyde, but specific ligands may still need to be found among very large molecules, as suggested by the size of the binding pocket.