BACKGROUND Bactrocera minax, one of the most important citrus pests, oviposits exclusively on citrus fruit. In the insect olfactory system, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) facilitate the initial recognition role of host odor molecules. The aim of this study was to characterize the functional OBPs ofB. minaxand identify specific volatile organic compounds in theCitrusgenus as OBP targets. RESULTS BminOBP9(BminGOBP99a), a closely related homolog ofBdorGOBP99a, which reduces the egg-laying behavior ofBactrocera dorsalisthrough silencing technology, was cloned, expressed, and purified. The binding...
