DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The role of insulin-like peptides in the behavior of malaria parasite-infected mosquitoes

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ABSTRACT: The insulin-like family of peptides controls a wide variety of biological functions across the animal kingdom. In insects, insulin-like peptides are most commonly known as mediators of behavior. This research project seeks to understand how insulin-like peptides produced during malaria parasite infection affect the behavior of infected mosquitoes. Mosquito behavior during malaria parasite infection can drastically affect transmission to human hosts. As such, the project will analyze behaviors including but not limited to feeding, general activity, and temperature seeking in a genetically modified mosquito model. These experiments will determine whether insulin-like peptides play a potential role in increasing malaria parasite transmission to human hosts by altering essential behavioral processes in mosquitoes. Many insect-borne parasites such as malaria primarily affect impoverished communities with few available resources to combat them. Therefore, extrapolating the findings of this research to control the behavior of wild populations of mosquitoes may enhance transmission control efforts in such areas. Furthermore, the research will also foster interdisciplinary collaborations between behavioral biologists, molecular biologists, and ecologists while enhancing training for the next generation of scientists by promoting the participation of undergraduate students.