YIDONG WANG, LIANG QIU, BING WANG, ZEYUAN GUAN, ZHI DONG,JIE ZHANG, SONG CA, LULU YANG, BO WANG, ZHOU GONG, LIWEI ZHANG, WEIHUA MA, ZHU LIU, DELIN ZHANGH, GUIRONG WANG, PINGYIN

Abstract

Insects detect and discriminate a diverse array of chemicals using odorant receptors (ORs), which are ligand-gated ion channels comprising a divergent odorant-sensing OR and a conserved odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco). Here, we report structures of the ApOR5-Orco heterocomplex from the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisumalone and bound to its known activating ligand geranyl acetate. In these structures, three ApOrco subunits serve as scaffold components that cannot bind the ligand and remain relatively unchanged. Upon ligand binding, the pore-forming helix S7b of ApOR5 shifts outward from the central pore axis, causing an asymmetrical pore opening for ion influx. Our study provides insights into odorant recognition and channel gating of the OR-Orco heterocomplex and offers structural resources to support development of innovative insecticides and repellents for pest control.

论文链接：https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn6881