The mouse receptor transporting protein RTP1S and the fly SNMP1 support the functional expression of the Drosophila odorant coreceptor Orco in mammalian culture cells

Mammalian RTPs can enhance the expression of insect ORs. Moreover, the ability of SNMP1 to mimic the RTP1S effect may indicate possible new roles of this protein apart from being involved in pheromone detection. These results provide researchers with a fast and inexpensive way to optimize the functional expression of insect ORs in heterologous systems and open the search for insect proteins analogous to mammalian RTPs.