In vitro and in silico analysis uncovers fatty acid affinity of GmelGOBP2 in Galleria mellonella larvae, indicating a molecular role in beehive navigation.
Key Points
To identify odorant-binding proteins in Galleria mellonella larvae and characterize the ligand-binding profile of GmelGOBP2 to understand larval olfactory-guided behavior in beehives.
Screened transcriptomic datasets to identify candidate larval odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes and profiled their developmental expression.
Evaluated the binding affinity of recombinant GmelGOBP2 against 26 candidate ligands using fluorescence binding assays and molecular docking simulations.
Identified 25 candidate OBP genes via transcriptomics, highlighting GmelGOBP2 as differentially expressed in gregarious waxworms with stable expression across instars.
Demonstrated that GmelGOBP2 selectively binds 4 out of 26 tested ligands—linoleic acid, oleic acid, undecanol, and β-ionone—concurring with docking predictions.