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Copyright : © 2006 Vosshall et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Atypical Membrane Topology and Heteromeric Function of Drosophila Odorant Receptors In Vivo 1Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America 2Département de Biochimie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada Pamela Bjorkman, Academic Editor Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, United States of America Corresponding author.Leslie B Vosshall: leslie/at/mail.rockefeller.edu Received July 21, 2005; Accepted November 14, 2005. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.Abstract Drosophila olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) each express two odorant receptors (ORs): a divergent member of the OR family and the highly conserved, broadly expressed receptor OR83b. OR83b is essential for olfaction in vivo and enhances OR function in vitro, but the molecular mechanism by which it acts is unknown. Here we demonstrate that OR83b heterodimerizes with conventional ORs early in the endomembrane system in OSNs, couples these complexes to the conserved ciliary trafficking pathway, and is essential to maintain the OR/OR83b complex within the sensory cilia, where odor signal transduction occurs. The OR/OR83b complex is necessary and sufficient to promote functional reconstitution of odor-evoked signaling in sensory neurons that normally respond only to carbon dioxide. Unexpectedly, unlike all known vertebrate and nematode chemosensory receptors, we find that Drosophila ORs and OR83b adopt a novel membrane topology with their N-termini and the most conserved loops in the cytoplasm. These loops mediate direct association of ORs with OR83b. Our results reveal that OR83b is a universal and integral part of the functional OR in Drosophila. This atypical heteromeric and topological design appears to be an insect-specific solution for odor recognition, making the OR/OR83b complex an attractive target for the development of highly selective insect repellents to disrupt olfactory-mediated host-seeking behaviors of insect disease vectors. Introduction Animals have the remarkable ability to detect and discriminate thousands of chemically distinct odors. Mammals and insects have solved this complex sensory perception problem in strikingly similar ways. In both phylogenetic classes, odors are detected by large families of highly divergent odorant receptors (ORs) [1]. Individual olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) express only one, or rarely a few, OR genes [2–4], and OR proteins are exposed to the environment on the surface of the ciliated endings of OSN dendrites [5–7]. ORs appear to be the major determinant of the odor-response profile of OSNs and are activated or inhibited by overlapping subsets of odor stimuli [8–12]. The axons of OSNs expressing the same OR converge to form glomeruli within the olfactory bulb in mammals or the antennal lobe in insects, where they synapse with second-order neurons [3,13,14]. Together, these observations have led to a model in which the identity of an odor is encoded, in both mammals and insects, by the combination of ORs that recognize it, and therefore in distinct spatial patterns of glomerular activity in the brain [15,16]. While the olfactory neuroanatomy and physiology of these animals are similar, mammalian and insect OR families are not obviously related, although both have a predicted seven-transmembrane (TM) domain structure [1]. Mammalian ORs are members of the Class A rhodopsin-like G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily and signal through the G alpha subunit Golf [17,18]. The structural similarity of the insect proteins has led to the widespread assumption that insect ORs represent a divergent class of GPCR [19–21], but almost nothing is known about the signal transduction cascade they activate. Furthermore, while each mammalian OSN expresses a single OR that determines its functional specificity, insect OSNs express a conventional ligand-binding OR together with OR83b, a highly conserved member of the insect OR family [22–25]. Flies lacking OR83b display severe defects in behavioral and electrophysiological responses to many different odors, indicating that OR83b is likely to act in conjunction with conventional ORs that are expressed in smaller subpopulations of OSNs. Consistent with this hypothesis, the conventional receptors OR22a/b and OR43b are highly degraded in Or83b mutant neurons with trace quantities of these proteins detected only in the cell body [22]. In contrast to the absolute requirement for OR83b in vivo, insect ORs can produce small, but ligand-specific odor responses when expressed without OR83b in heterologous cells [26,27]. However, the efficiency of odor responsivity is greatly enhanced by co-expression of OR83b [28,29], and this may be due to the stabilization of ORs by OR83b [28]. Bioluminescence-resonance–energy-transfer experiments indicate that OR–OR homomeric and OR–OR83b heteromeric complexes form in heterologous cells, but evidence of the functionality of either complex is lacking [29]. Thus, while these in vitro findings support the hypothesis that OR83b can act with the conventional ORs, its precise role in vivo remains a mystery. Remarkably little is known about the molecular and cellular properties of ORs in OSNs, and a number of mechanisms could account for the Or83b loss-of-function phenotype and the enhancement promoted by OR83b in vitro. OR83b could function as a chaperone in intracellular organelles to promote the folding, assembly, or stability of ORs, or their exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). OR83b could be essential for transporting and depositing ORs in the specialized sensory cilia at the tip of OSN dendrites. Finally, OR83b could be a co-receptor that remains in a complex with ORs in the sensory compartment and participates in anchoring or stabilizing of ORs in the ciliary membrane, odor binding, olfactory signaling, or a combination of these. In this work, we analyze the subcellular localization, physical interactions, and function of ORs in vivo to address the precise molecular role of OR83b. We present compelling evidence that the functional insect odorant-receptor is a heteromeric OR–OR83b complex whose formation is critical for the localization to and maintenance in the sensory cilia. This heteromeric receptor is sufficient for the full reconstitution of an odor response in ectopic sensory neurons that do not normally express ORs. We make the surprising discovery that insect ORs adopt a membrane topology distinct from that of GPCRs, with their N-termini located intracellularly. These proteins associate via conserved loops that were previously thought to be extracellular. These results define the molecular nature of the functional odorant receptor in insects as a co-receptor complex of a novel family of TM proteins and indicate that, despite the anatomical and functional parallels in the mammalian and insect olfactory systems, insects have evolved a completely different molecular solution to detect odors. Results OR83b Is Required for OR Trafficking The major olfactory organ of Drosophila is the third segment of the antenna, a cuticle-covered appendage that contains approximately 1,200 OSNs (Figure 1
Conventional ORs, such as OR22a/b, are concentrated in the outer dendritic segment, where they co-localize with OR83b (Figure 1 We next investigated the distribution of mislocalized OR22a/b in Or83b mutants with respect to intracellular organelles. The Drosophila Golgi apparatus has a punctate distribution (Figure 1 The ER was visualized using a KDEL antibody, which recognizes the major retention signal for soluble ER proteins. In wild-type OSNs, α-KDEL displays extremely faint perinuclear staining (Figure 1 OR83b Is Continuously Required for OR Localization To assess when OR83b is required for OR localization, we performed rescue experiments of Or83b mutants using the TARGET (temporal and regional gene expression targeting) system to achieve temporal control of OR83b expression, specifically in Or22a/b neurons [36]. This technique combines cell-type specific induction of a UAS-Or83b transgene by an Or22a-Gal4 driver line with temporal regulation through use of a ubiquitously expressed temperature-sensitive Gal80 (Gal80ts) transgene. At the permissive temperature (18 °C), the GAL80 protein is active and represses induction of OR83b expression by inhibiting GAL4 (Figure 2
In the first experiment, we cultured flies at 18 °C, collected adults, and aged these for 10 d at 18 °C. We then split these animals into two groups and incubated them for a further 2 d at either 18 °C or 29 °C before fixing and staining. Flies that had been maintained continuously at 18 °C do not express OR83b, and OR22a/b is absent from the cilia (Figure 2 In a second experiment, we cultured flies and aged adults for 3 d at 29 °C, transferred them to 18 °C to switch off expression of OR83b, and fixed these animals immediately for 3, 6, or 9 d later (Figure 2 OR83b-Dependent and -Independent Trafficking Pathways in the Antenna To examine the spatial requirements for OR localization, we first ectopically expressed one OR, OR43a, bearing an N-terminal GFP tag, throughout the antenna using Or83b-Gal4. GFP:OR43a is functional (see below) and in wild-type tissue localizes to cilia in all Or83b-expressing neurons (Figure 3
Or83b mutant adult flies retain some olfactory function [22], and, given the heterogeneous expression of OR83b in the antenna (Figure 3 OR genes represent an expanded lineage of the ancestral chemosensory family of gustatory receptor (GR) genes [37]. GR genes are primarily expressed in gustatory neurons, but at least three are detected in antennal sensory neurons, including Gr21a, which is expressed in the ab1C neurons that respond specifically to carbon dioxide (CO2) [32,38,39]. The CO2 response of ab1C neurons is independent of Or83b [22]. Consistent with this physiological phenotype, no OR83b is present in Gr21a neurons (Figure 3 OR-Independent Localization of OR83b to OSN Ciliated Dendrites We tested whether there is a reciprocal requirement for conventional ORs for the ciliary accumulation of OR83b by examining OR83b localization in the absence of OR22a/b. Or22a/b mutant neurons display no odor-evoked potentials to any odorant tested, indicating that no other ORs are likely to be expressed in these neurons [7]. To distinguish the dendrites of Or22a/b neurons from those of Or85b neurons, which share the same sensillum [9], we expressed an N-terminal GFP-tagged version of OR83b specifically in Or22a/b neurons. GFP:OR83b is functional, as assayed by rescue of odor-evoked behavior in Or83b mutant larvae (M. Louis, RB, and LBV, unpublished data), and its distribution in the cell body and dendrite of wild-type Or22a/b neurons is identical to endogenous OR83b (Figure 4
OR83b Is Necessary and Sufficient to Mediate OR Localization to Ciliated Dendrites in Other Sensory Neurons To ask whether OR83b is sufficient to promote OR localization, we ectopically expressed GFP:OR43a with and without OR83b in sensory neurons that do not normally express ORs. When GFP:OR43a is expressed alone in Gr21a neurons, the protein fails to localize to the sensory compartment and is detected only in the cell body and inner dendritic segment (Figure 5
OR/OR83b Reconstitutes a Functional OR in Gr21a Neurons We investigated whether ORs and OR83b form a functional odorant receptor in Gr21a cilia, by ectopically expressing GFP:OR43a and OR83b in these neurons along with the calcium-sensitive fluorescent reporter G-CaMP [12,41]. Odor-evoked activity was measured as changes in intracellular calcium concentration in the axon termini of Gr21a neurons in the V glomerulus of the antennal lobe [38,39]. In flies expressing only G-CaMP, robust responses are observed, as expected, to CO2, but not to cyclohexanol, a known OR43a ligand [26,42] (Figure 6
ORs and OR83b Form Heteromeric Complexes in the Sensory Cilia of OSNs We next asked whether this functional odorant receptor is composed of a complex of OR and OR83b proteins that is present in vivo at the site of odor detection (Figure 7
Transgenic constructs encoding YFP(1):OR83b and YFP(2):OR83b fusion proteins were first expressed individually in Or83b mutant neurons (Figure 7 To assess heteromeric interactions between ORs and OR83b, YFP(1)- and YFP(2)-tagged versions of OR43a were expressed with complementary YFP(1/2):OR83b fusions in Or83b mutant neurons. Both combinations of these fusion proteins produce a robust fluorescent signal in the sensory cilia, with discrete puncta of fluorescence also observed around the nucleus in the cell body and in the inner dendritic segment (Figure 7 We investigated whether these heteromeric complexes are functional by expressing these fusion proteins along with G-CaMP in Or83b mutant neurons and assessing odor-evoked calcium release at OSN axon terminals in the antennal lobe (Figure 7 As a control for the specificity of these complexes, we generated YFP fragment fusions to GR21a. These localize throughout the cell body in Or83b neurons and the inner segment of the dendrite, although not in the outer segment, as shown for GFP:GR21a (Figure 3 We also observe relatively weak fluorescence in sensory cilia when YFP(1):OR43a and YFP(2):OR43a fusions are co-expressed in wild-type Or83b neurons (Figure 7 ORs and OR83b Adopt a Novel Membrane Topology To define the regions that mediate the specific association of ORs with OR83b, we initiated a structure/function analysis of these receptors. This was initially constrained by the lack of knowledge of their membrane topology and structure, as Drosophila ORs were identified bioinformatically by algorithms that searched for novel proteins with multiple TM domains [19–21,47]. Although these reports all proposed a seven-TM domain structure for the identified sequences, there was no consensus on the placement of these TM segments. By analogy to vertebrate and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) ORs, the predicted heptahelical structure of Drosophila ORs has led to the general acceptance that these proteins represent members of the GPCR family, despite the fact that the insect proteins show no significant sequence similarity to any known GPCR (unpublished data). Indeed, phylogenetic analysis suggests that insect ORs define a distinct family that is no more related to mouse ORs than these are to ion channels (Figure 8
To obtain experimental evidence that TM1 of Drosophila ORs inserts into the membrane with the N-terminus intracellular, we first used the β-galactosidase β-gal fusion technique. This method takes advantage of the observation that β-gal is enzymatically active when present in the cytosolic compartment but not in extracytosolic compartments (luminal or extracellular) [51]. By fusing β-gal to the C-terminus of a TM domain and assessing enzymatic activity, the cellular location of the enzyme and hence orientation of insertion of the TM domain can be determined (Figure 9
We generated constructs encoding either the N-terminal domain alone or the N-terminal domain and TM1 of OR83b fused at their C-termini to β-gal. As a control, we generated constructs in which a synthetic TM domain was placed between the fragments of OR83b and β-gal, which are predicted to give opposite results to the corresponding direct fusions to the enzyme (Figure 9 We wished to determine whether OR N-termini reside intracellularly in the context of the full-length proteins in OSNs, and we therefore developed a novel method to probe protein topology in vivo based upon the YFP PCA. We generated transgenes encoding cytosolic topology-sensor proteins that comprise YFP fragments fused to a leucine zipper dimerization domain (referred to here as ZIP) (YFP(1):ZIP, YFP(2):ZIP) and corresponding OR83b fusion proteins bearing YFP fragments and the same leucine zipper sequence at their N-termini (YFP(1):ZIP:OR83b, YFP(2):ZIP:OR83b). YFP(1/2):ZIP:OR83b fusions are functional as assessed by rescue of OR22a/b localization (unpublished data). When the complementary YFP(1/2):ZIP cytosolic sensors are expressed in OSNs, the ZIP domains promote their association and we detect YFP fluorescence concentrated in the nucleus (Figure 9 We generated equivalent extracytosolic topology sensors bearing the signal sequence from mammalian calreticulin at their N-termini that targets these proteins to the secretory pathway (SS:YFP(1):ZIP, SS:YFP(2):ZIP) [52]). In OSNs expressing these sensors, we detect α YFP immunoreactivity in perinuclear membranes consistent with their targeting to the ER lumen (unpublished data). When co-expressed in complementary combinations with either YFP(1/2):ZIP:OR83b or YFP(1/2):ZIP:OR43a, we do not observe reconstitution of intrinsic YFP fluorescence (unpublished data), which is consistent with these extracytosolic sensors being on the opposite side of the membrane of the OR N-termini. Interpretation of this result must be tempered, however, by the fact that the combination of SS:YFP(1):ZIP and SS:YFP(2):ZIP fails to fluoresce either in the intracellular sorting pathway or extracellularly (unpublished data). To examine OR topology beyond the location of the N-terminus, we performed OR83b antibody epitope-staining experiments, which probe topology by comparing antibody access in permeabilized and non-permeabilized conditions. OSN dendrites proved to be inaccessible to labeling without compromising cell permeability. We find that the larval salivary gland, a secretory tissue that is easily accessible to whole-mount staining, appears to support cell-surface expression of ectopically expressed GFP:OR83b, with the intrinsic GFP fluorescent signal detected in membranes along the cell boundaries and within cytoplasmic vesicles (Figure 10
We next used antibodies against the OR83b N-terminus and epitopes within the computationally predicted second and third intracellular loops (IC2 and IC3) and performed a similar set of experiments. Unlike α-EC2, these three antibodies display staining only when the cells are permeabilized (Figure 10 Because topology mapping by epitope access with detergents has inherent limitations (e.g., [53]), we performed immunoelectron microscopy (immunoEM) in cross sections of wild-type sensilla to ask where the α-EC2 epitope lies relative to the dendritic membrane. Horizontal sections reveal multiple dendritic branches within the sensillum lymph by conventional EM (Figure 10 Together, these data support the bioinformatic prediction that the EC2 epitope of OR83b is extracellular, while the N-terminus and the IC2 and IC3 epitopes are intracellular. Although we have obtained multiple lines of evidence for the topology of the OR N-terminus, we note that the exact number and precise placement of TM segments in the Drosophila ORs remain to be proven. One prediction of the model presented in the snake plots illustrated in the figures is that the C-terminus is extracellular. Unfortunately, we have not been able to test this experimentally, because, unlike the N-terminal GFP tag, fusion of GFP or the smaller Myc tag to the OR83b C-terminus destroys protein function (unpublished data). ORs and OR83b Associate via Conserved Cytoplasmic C-Terminal Domains To examine the domains that mediate OR/OR83b association, we used this new topology model to design a chimeric receptor [OR83b(1–170):OR43a(159–376)] with a breakpoint in EC2 such that the protein comprises predicted TM1–TM3 of OR83b and TM4–TM7 of OR43a. This chimera localizes to cilia in wild-type antennae, but fails to localize in Or83b mutants (Figure 11
OR protein sequences are extremely divergent but show the strongest homology within this C-terminal region. Given its functional dependence on OR83b, we asked whether any of the computationally predicted cytoplasmic loops within this fragment of OR43a (IC2, IC3) physically interact with any cytoplasmic regions of OR83b (N-term, IC1, IC2, IC3) in a yeast two-hybrid assay. Although this technique analyzes OR interactions without the structural information that might be provided by OR TM domains, this approach has been successfully used to define cytoplasmic associations of many types of polytopic membrane protein (e.g., [54]). We observe interactions between IC3 of OR43a and IC3 of OR83b but not any other combination (Figure 11 These experiments defining OR/OR83b interactions also provide further evidence that conventional ORs adopt the same topology as OR83b. First, the membrane insertion orientation of the OR83b:OR43a chimera is determined by the N-terminus of OR83b, but this fusion protein retains the localization properties of OR43a (Figure 11 Discussion Our results define Drosophila OR83b and ORs as a novel family of TM proteins with sequence and membrane topology that is distinct from mammalian GPCR-family ORs. We show that OR83b associates with ORs through conserved cytoplasmic loops previously believed to be extracellular and demonstrate that ORs and OR83b form heteromeric complexes within OSNs. These complexes form early in the membrane-trafficking pathways but persist and concentrate in the sensory cilia. We show an essential role for OR83b in targeting and maintaining these complexes within the ciliary membranes at the site of odorant signal transduction. These results define OR83b as an integral part of the functional odorant receptor in insects. Furthermore, despite the striking similarities in the anatomy and physiology of mammalian and insect olfactory systems, they reveal important distinctions in the molecular nature of the odorant receptor in these organisms. OR83b and OR Localization The role of ORs in translating the odorous environment into neuronal activity depends critically on their localization to the surface of the ciliated sensory endings of OSN dendrites. How ORs navigate from their site of synthesis in the ER to these specialized sensory compartments is poorly characterized but has long been suspected to depend upon olfactory-specific cofactors because of the difficulty in functionally expressing these proteins in heterologous cells [55]. Our data show that in insects an OR protein has been adapted to subserve a new cellular function: to traffic structurally similar ligand-binding ORs to olfactory cilia. Our observation that OR83b can localize to chemosensory cilia in the absence of associated ORs rules out the possibility that only the heteromeric OR/OR83b complex is transport-competent. Instead, our data indicate that OR83b itself can associate with the transport pathway in OSNs and functions to link ORs to this transport machinery. Because OR83b can promote OR localization to cilia in mechanosensory neurons, it likely couples to a general ciliary transport pathway, without the requirement for additional OSN-specific cofactors. Our analysis of the temporal requirement of OR83b also reveals an essential role for OR83b in maintaining ORs within this sensory compartment, as we never detect OR22a/b in cilia in the absence of OR83b. Together with our observation of the persistence of OR/OR83b heteromeric complexes in the sensory compartment, these results strongly suggest that OR83b is an integral and stable component of the insect OR complex necessary for both proper localization and stability of the conventional ORs in dendrites, rather than a transient chaperone that shuttles and deposits monomeric ORs in the ciliary membrane. While Drosophila ORs do not contain any known protein motifs, the strongest homology within members of this family spans predicted TM6 and TM7, suggesting that this region might mediate a function common to all ORs. Consistent with this conservation, we find that the loop linking these predicted TM domains (IC3) forms at least part of the interaction interface between ORs and OR83b. In OR83b, this region is almost fully conserved between insect orthologues, and this may explain why OR83b orthologues from diverse insects can functionally substitute for OR83b in Drosophila [24]. Comparison of OR83b with other ORs reveals the presence of a 70-amino-acid insertion in IC2 that is unique to OR83b. Our data suggest this loop is located in the cytoplasm, and we speculate that the insertion links OR83b to the intracellular transport machinery. Most mammalian ORs fail to reach the cell surface when expressed in heterologous cells but are largely trapped in aggregates in the ER and are eventually degraded [56–58]. This is remarkably similar to the fate of Drosophila ORs in Or83b mutants. OR trafficking in mammals appears to have been solved differently from insects. Screens for olfactory-specific genes that facilitate OR localization have identified a number of single TM domain accessory factors that associate with but are structurally unrelated to the ORs: REEP, RTP1, and RTP2 for mouse ORs and MHC class 1b proteins for mouse V2R pheromone receptors [59,60]. A single TM domain protein, ODR-4, has also been shown to be required for OR trafficking in C. elegans but, unlike OR83b, ODR-4 is not present in sensory cilia [61]. Heterodimerization of structurally related chemosensory receptors is important for mammalian taste perception, but this modulates the ligand-binding properties of these receptors rather than their subcellular localization [62–64]. Thus, the requirement for a universal co-receptor for chemoreception appears to be unique to the Drosophila OR family, and this relies on the remarkable property of OR83b to couple both to the conserved ciliary trafficking machinery and probably to all 61 members of the highly divergent OR family. Odor Recognition and Olfactory Signaling by a Heteromeric OR/OR83b Complex The presence of OR/OR83b complexes in the sensory compartment raises the possibility that OR83b has additional functions in olfactory perception. This is difficult to address in vivo because of the essential requirement for OR83b in OR localization. However, the diversity in odor response profiles of different classes of OR83b-expressing neurons makes it unlikely that OR83b itself recognizes ligands. This has been confirmed experimentally in Or22a/b mutant neurons, which do not respond to odors even though we demonstrate that OR83b is present in these sensory cilia [7]. In vitro studies have revealed that some ectopically expressed ORs in heterologous cells are capable of recognizing odors in the absence of OR83b, albeit with low efficiency [26,27]. The odor-response profiles of these ORs is similar to that observed in vivo, which suggests that OR83b is unlikely to influence OR ligand specificity but could facilitate efficient ligand-receptor interactions by, for example, maintaining the conformation of ORs within the ciliary membrane. Although the site of ligand interaction in insect ORs and GRs is unknown, a naturally occurring single amino acid polymorphism (A218T) in GR5a influences the sensitivity of this receptor to trehalose [65–67]. Previously, this residue was thought to lie in the second intracellular loop, where it was proposed to affect coupling of GR5a to G proteins. In the topology model for insect chemosensory receptors proposed here, this residue is predicted to be extracellular and may instead influence ligand binding. The molecular components of primary olfactory signal transduction pathways in insects are unknown. However, in vivo misexpression experiments indicate that ORs can function in other OR-expressing OSNs [9]. This suggests that ORs converge on a common signaling cascade in Or83b neurons, and it is attractive to suggest that OR83b might form part of this common pathway. The capacity of OR83b to couple to downstream signal transduction components is supported by the observation that OSNs expressing OR83b but lacking conventional ORs show spontaneous activity while Or83b mutant OSNs do not [7,22,68]. Our demonstration that OR/OR83b complexes can function in Gr21a neurons suggests that OR83b may not define a signal transduction pathway that is unique to OR-expressing sensory neurons, but rather that the divergent OR and GR chemosensory receptor families can couple to a common cascade. The structural distinction between insect and mammalian ORs begs the question of whether G proteins are involved in insect chemosensory signaling. In both mammals and C. elegans, loss-of-function genetics provides strong support for a role of G proteins in olfactory signal transduction [18,69]. In contrast, no direct experimental evidence exists for G protein signaling downstream of insect ORs. Several G alpha subunits, in particular Gαq, are expressed in insect antennae [70–72], but they are not specifically enriched in the ciliated dendrite of OSNs. Reduction of Gαq levels in Drosophila OSNs produces defective behavioral responses to some odor stimuli [73], although it is not known whether this is due to a primary defect in olfactory signal transduction. Surprisingly, OR/OR83b odor-evoked signaling is observed in heterologous cells with or without co-expression of exogenous insect Gαq proteins [28,29], suggesting that these proteins have the capacity to couple to endogenous, but unknown, signaling molecules. Thus, despite the widespread assumption that insect chemoreception employs a canonical G protein–signaling cascade, the evidence in support of this is inconclusive. While defining the molecular nature of insect olfactory signaling remains an important goal, our observation that insect ORs are structurally unrelated to the GPCR superfamily raises two equally intriguing possibilities. Insect chemosensory receptors may represent a second family of polytopic TM proteins that has evolved independently to couple to G proteins. Alternatively, these receptors may not couple to G proteins but activate a distinct signaling cascade in response to odor stimulation. Implications of This Work and Concluding Remarks While ORs in mammals and insects share a common function in translating odor stimuli into neuronal activity, our findings reveal fundamental differences in the molecular basis of olfactory perception in these organisms. That their OR families should have unrelated evolutionary origins highlights the remarkable convergence in the anatomical and physiological mechanisms that mammals and insects display in the representation of odors in their peripheral circuits. This work raises important questions about the mechanism of odor recognition and olfactory signal transduction in insects. Furthermore, our demonstration that the OR/OR83b complex is the essential molecular unit of olfactory perception in insects makes this complex an attractive target for the development of highly selective insect repellents to interrupt chemosensory-driven, host-seeking behaviors of insect vectors of human disease. Materials and Methods Drosophila stocks Fly stocks were maintained on conventional cornmeal-agar-molasses medium under a 12-h light–12-h dark cycle at 18 °C or 25 °C. Mutant alleles and transgenic lines used: Or83b1, Or83b2 [22], Or22a/bΔhalo [7], Or83b-Gal4, UAS-G-CaMP 1.3 [12], Or22a-Gal4, Or47b-Gal4 [3], Gr21a-Gal4 [38], oseg2-Gal4 [74], AB1-Gal4 (salivary gland driver) (Bloomington Stock Center, Bloomington, Indiana, United States), tubP-Gal80ts [36], UAS-mCD8:GFP [75], UAS-GFP:Rab7 [76]. Genotypes are listed in the figure legends. Generation of tagged OR transgenes All plasmid constructs were generated by amplification of the desired cDNA fragments with flanking restriction sites by PCR from antennal cDNA or cDNA clones, which were T:A cloned into pGEM-T Easy (Promega, Madison, Wisconsin, United States) or pCRII-TOPO (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, California, United States), sequenced and subcloned into appropriate vectors. Tagged OR constructs for transgenic expression were cloned into pUAST [77]. For Or83b, we used the ORF and 3′UTR corresponding to nucleotide (nt) 168-1917, of Genbank accession AY567998 in which a previously noted C595T polymorphism was reverted [22]. For Or43a, Or47b, and Gr21a, we used full-length ORFs only. Epitope tags were fused upstream and in-frame with OR/GR sequences. The GFP tag comprised full-length EGFP (Clontech, Palo Alto, California, United States) lacking the STOP codon. The Rho tag comprised nt 6–65 of Genbank accession M12689, which encodes the antigenically favorable N-terminus of bovine rhodopsin. The Or83b:Or43a chimera was generated by overlap-extension PCR to avoid introducing restriction enzyme sites at junctions between OR sequences. For the PCA, we used complementary N- and C-terminal fragments of YFP, YFP(1), and YFP(2) with a ten-amino-acid linker [(
GGGGS)2] [78]. The zipper dimerization domain comprises nt 703–843 of Genbank accession AJ585702, encoding the leucine zipper of S. cerevisiae Gcn4p. The artificial signal sequence comprised nt 34–87 of Genbank accession BC002500, which encodes the signal sequence of Homo sapiens Calreticulin. Details of all cloning strategies and plasmid sequences are available by request. Transgenic animals were generated (Genetic Services, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States) and balanced by standard methods.
Histology Antennae: 14-μm frozen sections of antennae were collected and stained with primary and secondary antibodies (see below) as described [22]. Salivary glands: the anterior quarter of the third instar larvae was separated from the rest of the body, inverted to expose the salivary glands, and fixed in 4% formaldehyde in PBS for 20 min. These were then stained as for antennal sections, either in the presence of 0.25% Triton X-100 (Fisher Scientific, Springfield, New Jersey, United States) (permeabilized) or without detergent (non-permeabilized). After mounting in Vectashield (Vector Labs, Burlingame, California, United States), salivary glands were dissected away from other tissues. Images were collected with a Zeiss LSM510 confocal microscope (Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany). Primary antibodies: mouse α-Drosophila Golgi 1:250 (Calbiochem, San Diego, California, United States), mouse α-KDEL 1:100 (Stressgen Biotechnologies, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), rabbit α-OR83b (EC2) 1:5000 [22], mouse α-OR83b (IC2) 1:100 (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program for Genomic Applications, Dallas, Texas, United States), rabbit α-OR22a/b 1:1000 [22], rabbit α-GFP 1:1000 (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oregon, United States), mouse α-GFP 1:500 (Molecular Probes). OR83b-specific rabbit polyclonal antibodies against synthetic peptides SMQPSKYTGLVAD (N-term) and HWYDGSEEAKT (IC3) were raised and affinity-purified by Bethyl Laboratories (Montgomery, Texas, United States) and used at 1:1000 and 1:500, respectively. Secondary antibodies: Alexa488-, Cy5- and Cy3-conjugated α-mouse IgG or α-rabbit IgG 1:1000 (Molecular Probes; Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, Pennsylvania, United States). DNA was visualized by DAPI staining. Optical imaging In vivo preparation of flies (3- to 8-d-old animals) and optical imaging of odor-evoked calcium responses in the antennal lobe were essentially as described [79] using a modified TILL Photonics imaging system (TILL Photonics, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany). For each measurement, a series of 40 frames was taken at 4 Hz. A constant air stream (2,000 ml/min) produced by an aquarium pump was guided through a 1-ml syringe with the tip placed 1 cm from the antennae. Pure odorants were diluted in paraffin oil (see figure legends for concentrations), and 10 μl of this solution was placed on a filter paper in a second syringe that was laterally inserted into this air flow. Odorant stimuli (1 s, i.e., frames 12–16) were puffed into the constant airstream using a custom-made electronic valve under computer control with a 1-min interstimulus interval. Imaging data were analyzed with custom-written IDL software (Research Systems, Boulder, Colorado, United States) including noise filtering, movement, and bleaching correction. Relative fluorescence changes (ΔF/F) were calculated by subtracting the averaged fluorescence intensities from frames 4–6 from the time traces. False-color–coded images (Figures 6 Computational analysis of OR sequences Multiprotein alignments were generated with ClustalX version 1.83 (Bioinformatics, Strasbourg, France) with default parameters [80]. An unrooted neighbor-joining tree with 1,000 bootstrap replications was generated in ClustalX, excluding positions with gaps and correcting for multiple substitutions. The tree was viewed with TreeView version 1.6.6 (Taxonomy and Systematics at Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom) (http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/rod.html). The sequences analyzed here are divergent and share extremely low homology between protein families, and the intent of this analysis was to ask whether Drosophila ORs cluster with olfactory GPCRs. Membrane topology predictions of OR sequences were examined using HMMTOP version 2.0 [48], TMHMM Server version 2.0 [49], and transmembrane prediction [50]. The set of 61 mouse ORs was chosen to maximize representation of subfamily members. N-glycosylation sites were predicted using the NetNGlyc 1.0 Server (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/NetNGlyc). Graphical representations of OR sequences as snake plots were adapted from Residue-based Diagram editor outputs obtained from the GPCR database [81]. The accession numbers of all protein sequences analyzed are available on request. Topology-mapping with β-gal fusion proteins lacZ and TM:lacZ (encoding β-gal with an upstream synthetic TM domain) were amplified from pPD16.43 and pPD34.110 [82], respectively, and cloned downstream of OR and Rh1 cDNA fragments in pMT-V5-His A (Invitrogen). Codons of test genes fused to lacZ and TM:lacZ: OR83b (1–46, 1–72), OR9a (1–41, 1–68), RH1 (1–49, 1–82). Plasmids were transfected into S2-R+ cultured Drosophila cells [83] with Fugene (Qiagen, Valencia, California, United States). Expression of fusion proteins was induced for 24 h with 5 mM Cu2S04 and verified by Western blotting of cell extracts using antibodies against β-gal (Cappel from MP Biomedicals, Irvine, California, United States). To assess β-gal activity, cells were rinsed in PBS, fixed in 2% formaldehyde/0.2% glutaraldehyde in PBS for 5 min, rinsed twice in PBS, and incubated in staining solution [5 mM K3Fe(CN)6, 5 mM K4Fe(CN)6.6H20, 2 mM MgCl2, 1 mg/ml X-gal, in PBS] for 30 min at 37 °C. After staining, cells were rinsed in PBS and viewed on an inverted microscope. Electron microscopy Conventional transmission electron microscopy: flies were immobilized on ice and transferred to ice-cold 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate (pH 7.4). Antennae were fixed overnight in the cold, rinsed with buffer, and post-fixed with 1% osmium tetroxide in 0.1 M cacodylate (pH 7.4) on ice. After en bloc staining with aqueous uranyl acetate, the tissue was dehydrated in a graded alcohol series and embedded in hard-grade L.R. White (Electron Microscopy Sciences, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, United States). Prelabeling immunoelectron microscopy: 6-μm cryostat sections of fresh-frozen adult antennae were collected on an Aclar film (EMS) treated with Alcian blue. Sections were fixed for 10 min in 4% paraformaldehyde, washed in PBS, and incubated with α-EC2 (diluted 1:5,000) overnight in the cold. After washing with PBS, the sections were incubated with goat-α-rabbit conjugated to 5 nm gold particles (Amersham Biosciences, Little Chalfont, United Kingdom). Incubations were stopped by buffer washes followed by fixation with 2.5% glutaraldehyde. Sections were further processed as described above except embedding was in EPON. Silver sections were collected on copper grids and viewed unstained in a JEOL 100 CX electron microscope operated at 80 kV. Distributions of gold particles were scored blindly by an impartial observer. Yeast two-hybrid analysis OR/GR fragments were cloned into GAL4 DNA-binding domain or activation domain vectors pGBK-T7 and pGAD-T7 (Clontech). OR fragments used (amino acid codon number): OR83b N-term (1–47), OR83b IC1 (97–134), OR83b IC2 (226–351), OR83b IC3 (412–459), OR43a IC2 (208–246), OR43a IC3 (298–342), OR22a IC3 (305–359), GR21a IC3 (357–416). These were transformed into yeast strain AH109 (Clontech) using standard procedures, and expression of fusion proteins was verified by Western analysis using antibodies against GAL4 (Clontech). Interactions were tested by restreaking six single cotransformant colonies on media selecting for expression of the HIS3 and ADE2 reporter genes and scoring for growth after 3 d at 30 °C. Accession Numbers The accession numbers of all protein sequences analyzed are available on request. Acknowledgments We thank Walt Jones, who initiated the β-gal topology mapping experiments and designed the OR83b antipeptide antibody epitopes; Helen Shio of the Rockefeller University Bio-Imaging Service for performing the electron microscopy experiments; Iva Greenwald, Marcos González-Gaitán, Charles Zuker, UTSW-PGA, and the Bloomington Stock Center for reagents; Jürgen Berger for permission to reproduce the Drosophila image in Figure 1 Competing interests. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Abbreviations
Footnotes Author contributions. RB, SS, and LBV conceived and designed the experiments. RB performed the experiments in Figures 1 ¤Current address: Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany Citation: Benton R, Sachse S, Michnick SW, Vosshall, LB (2006) Atypical membrane topology and heteromeric function of Drosophila odorant receptors in vivo. PLoS Biol 4(2): e20. References
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