About 1 million people in the world die each year from diseases spread by mosquitoes, and understanding the mechanism of host identification by the mosquitoes through olfaction is at stake. The role of odorant binding proteins (OBPs) in the primary molecular events of olfaction in mosquitoes is becoming an important focus of biological research in this area. Here, we present a comprehensive comparative genomics study of OBPs in the three disease-transmitting mosquito species Anopheles gambiae, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus starting with the identification of 110 new OBPs in these three genomes. We have characterized their genomic distribution and orthologous and phylogenetic relationships. The diversity and expansion observed with respect to the Aedes and Culex genomes suggests that the OBP gene family acquired functional diversity concurrently with functional constraints posed on these two species. Sequences with unique features have been characterized such as the “two-domain OBPs” (previously known as Atypical OBPs) and “MinusC OBPs” in mosquito genomes. The extensive comparative genomics featured in this work hence provides useful primary insights into the role of OBPs in the molecular adaptations of mosquito olfactory system and could provide more clues for the identification of potential targets for insect repellants and attractants.

The 18 kDa protein TSPO is a highly conserved transmembrane protein found in bacteria, yeast, animals and plants. TSPO is involved in a wide range of physiological functions, among which the transport of several molecules. The atomic structure of monomeric ligand-bound mouse TSPO in detergent has been published recently. A previously published low-resolution structure of Rhodobacter sphaeroides TSPO, obtained from tubular crystals with lipids and observed in cryo-electron microscopy, revealed an oligomeric structure without any ligand. We analyze this electron microscopy density in view of available biochemical and biophysical data, building a matching atomic model for the monomer and then the entire crystal. We compare its intra- and inter-molecular contacts with those predicted by amino acid covariation in TSPO proteins from evolutionary sequence analysis. The arrangement of the five transmembrane helices in a monomer of our model is different from that observed for the mouse TSPO. We analyze possible ligand binding sites for protoporphyrin, for the high-affinity ligand PK 11195, and for cholesterol in TSPO monomers and/or oligomers, and we discuss possible functional implications.