1. LUSH PHEROMONE Manhasset Science Research Jillian Wong

2. NEED 2006- 881,000 people died from malaria 91% of those were children in Africa, and here was an estimated 247 million cases globally http://www.cdc.g ov/Features/dsMa lariaSurveillance/

3. NEED http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsMalariaSurveillance/dsMalariaSurveillance_450px.gif 2004- 300 million people got sick, and 3 million died from malaria-most of them children

4. Knowledge Base Pheromones- a chemical substance secreted by many animal species that alter behavior cVA- drosophila pheromoneDrosophila, 11- cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), mediates a variety of behaviors http://student.biolo gy.arizona.edu/hon ors2006/group09/D rosophila_melanoga ster.jpg

5. Knowledge Base Lush mutants are defective for the avoidance behavior to high concentrations of alcohol Structure of ethanol http://hood.eas.asu.edu/che211/wiki/i mages/thumb/a/a7/Ethanol_Structure.j pg/180px-Ethanol_Structure.jpg http://www.daneshema.com/upload/m ayor/upload/image/technology_enginee ring/chemistry/article1/Ethanol_structure.png

6. Knowledge Base Figure 2: X-ray Crystal Structure of LUSH-cVA complex. The VA is completely enveloped within the protein. http://www.uccc.info/for- healthcare-professional/cancer- center/cores/structural- biology/structural-biology.aspx The Lush protein is needed in the detection, discrimination, and perception of volatile odors

7. Knowledge Base http://www.nsls.bnl.gov/ne wsroom/science/2004/imag es/01-Jones-figure1.jpg Fig. 1. a Surface representation of key residues in the LUSH alcohol-binding pocket. The pocket is lined with hydrophobic residues with the exception of Thr57 and Ser52, which form concerted hydrogen bonds with the alcohol. Ethanol is shown in a stick representation. The hydrogen bonds between the alscohol and the hydroxyl groups of Thr57 and Ser52 are shown as yellow dotted lines.

8. ( A) Schematic of the Drosophila olfactory system. The distal tip of the third antennal segment is densely covered with olfactory sensilla (inset 1). Transverse section through a T1 trichoid sensillum. OSN, olfactory sensory neuron; L, sensillum lymph; OR, odorant receptor; OBP, odorantbinding protein (inset 2). B) Electrophysiological recordings from T1 OSNs in wild-type flies show responses to the pheromone 11-cis vaccenyl acetate that are absent in lush mutants. Mutant flies also show a drastic decrease (400-fold) in spontaneous spiking activity. http://vosshall.rockefeller.edu/reprints/VosshallStensmyrNeuron05.pdf Knowledge Base

9. Literature Review Pingxi Xu- A Drosophila OBP Required for Pheromone Signaling Purpose- to determine the role of OBP in vivo by examining the Drosophila mutant LUSH Found that LUSH mutants are defective for the detection of VA

10. Literature Review Dean P. Smith- A Pheromone Receptor Mediates 11-cis-Vaccenyl Acetate-Induced Responses in Drosophila LUSH are also required in non-T1 neurons misexpressing the receptor to respond to VA. S Sensitivity of T1 neurons to VA requires LUSH, an extracellular odorant-binding protein (OBP76a) present in the sensillum lymph bathing trichoid olfactory neuron dendrites