LUSH shapes up for a starring role in olfaction.

Stowers, Lisa; Logan, Darren W · Cell · 2008

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

In the fruit fly Drosophila, odorant-binding proteins are secreted into the fluid that bathes olfactory neurons. Laughlin et al. (2008) now challenge the assumption that the odorant-binding protein LUSH passively transports its pheromone to a specific olfactory receptor. Instead, LUSH undergoes a conformational change upon pheromone binding that is sufficient for neuronal activation.

Medical subject headings