Structure of rat odorant-binding protein OBP1 at 1.6 angstrom resolution

The nasal mucosa is a specialist interfacial region sandwiched between the olfactory system and the gaseous chemical milieu. In mammals and insects, this region is rich in odorant-binding proteins that are thought to aid olfaction by assisting mass transfer of the many different organoleptic compounds that make up the olfactory landscape. However, in mammals at least, our grasp on the exact function of odorant-binding proteins is tentative and better insight into the role of these proteins is warranted, not least because of their apparent significance in the olfactory systems of insects. Here, the crystal structure of rat odorant-binding protein 1 is reported at 1.6 Å resolution. This prote…