Smell sensors based on odorant binding proteins

Abstract

Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) belong to one of the most abundant class of proteins found in the olfactory apparatus, which play important roles in binding the small hydrophobic molecules to enhance their aqueous solubility and transport them to specific olfactory receptors (ORs). As the extracellular proteins, OBPs of insects and vertebrates were indentified almost at the same time and have a number of similarities [1].