The protein scaffold of the lipocalin odorant-binding protein is suitable for the design of new biosensors for the detection of explosive components.

The detection of hazard exposure is a current priority, including the detection of traces of explosive molecules in different environments like luggage storage rooms and public places, and is becoming a major requirement for homeland security. In the present study we carried out a preliminary investigation on the binding capacities of four forms of the lipocalin odorant-binding protein (OBP) for the detection of explosive components such as diphenylamine, dimethyl-phthalate, resorcinol and dinitrotoluene. The experimental results, showing that OBP binds these compounds with affinity constants ranging between 80 nM and 10.6 mM, indicate that this protein can be used as a probe for the realization of a biosensor to sense explosive compounds.