POWRE: Molecular Characterization of Sgnal-Transduction Mechanisms in Moth Olfaction

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An understanding of the molecular details of pheromone perception is essential to understand many fundamental principles of chemosensation. Most invertebrates rely on olfaction as the principal sensory modality, so their olfactory systems have developed to a level of extreme sensitivity and specificity that enables them to identify minute concentrations of behaviorally relevant compounds. Thus, exploring the signal-transduction mechanisms of invertebrates will not only help unravel many fundamental principles but also contribute to understanding the more-complex process of olfaction in higher organisms.To gain thorough knowledge of ligand-protein interactions involved in perception of behavioral chemicals, Dr. Mohanty will attempt a detailed structural characterization of the interactions of pheromone with pheromone-binding protein (PBP). PBP is the first protein that a pheromone encounters when it enters moth antennae. To better understand the binding motif of this protein and the structural features that serve as recognition elements of a ligand, Dr. Mohanty has initiated this structural study of PBP-pheromone complex using high-resolution nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.This POWRE award will not only support significant advances in our understanding of pheromone binding, it will also facilitate Dr. Mohanty's career advancement by allowing her to obtain training and experience in novel NMR and molecular-biology techniques and to apply them to her research on the signal-transduction process in moth olfaction. In doing so, she will pursue a mutually beneficial research collaboration with other leading scientists in both structural biology and olfaction, and she will become a full-fledged, active participant in the newly established structural-biology program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.