Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2009 Aug 5;19(3):284–292. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2009.07.015

Figure 2. Diverse chemosensory receptors mediating olfaction in insects.

Figure 2

(A) Basiconic sensilla are tuned to carbon dioxide detection using Gr21a/Gr63a (not shown) and general odorant detection using OR/OR83b complexes. The general odorant is indicated by the orange dot and interacts with the OR subunit in the complex.

(B) Pheromones are detected with distinct OR/OR83b complexes that act in concert with a CD36 homologue called SNMP [44,45]. For the detection of cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a soluble odorant binding protein called LUSH is required [55]. cVA is indicated by the purple ellipse and interacts with the OR67d subunit in the complex.

(C) A newly described family of chemosensory receptors is encoded by variant ionotropic receptors (IRs) [46]. IRs are expressed in coeloconic sensilla that detect general odorants, small amines, and humidity. Ligands (indicated by the orange dot) are presumed to be bound by extracellular domains of these receptors, but the nature of the IR receptor complex and what subunit(s) bind ligands remain to be determined.