Neural basis of olfactory behaviors in a unique mosquito-flower association

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For all animals, the ability to process biologically important odors – often mixtures of tens to hundreds of volatile chemicals – has a fundamental consequence for essential behaviors. This is especially true for mosquitoes, which decide upon whom to bite, and thereby transmit pathogens of disease, based on subtle differences in a person’s scent. Despite the acceptance of the importance of odor mixtures for mosquito behavior, we know remarkably little about how this information is processed in the brain (e.g., in the antennal lobe [AL] of insects). This project will use an interdisciplinary approach that combines novel chemical analytical and electrophysiological techniques with simultaneous imaging of brain responses from behaving animals (Aedes aegypti mosquitoes) to understand how complex odors are processed to mediate feeding behavior. Furthermore, the project will also introduce students to interdisciplinary research, as well as broadly communicate the importance of insect neurobiology to high school students. High School students in the Upward Bound Program will be involved in the project through summer seminars and lab experiences. Finally, the project includes the training of undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral associates and helps prepare them for independent scientific careers.Olfactory cues play fundamental roles in mediating mosquito behavior. This project will: (1) characterize the scent composition of diverse flower species visited by mosquitoes and identify key odorants in the scents that activate conserved odorant receptors; (2) determine the coding mechanism(s) by which the scents from these diverse flowers activate the same glomerular circuit(s) to elicit behavior; and (3) use simultaneous calcium imaging in the AL of transgenic mosquitoes while the mosquito flies in place. The project will thus advance understanding of olfactory control of behavior of insect vectors of human disease, like mosquitoes, that impact more than a billion people per year with disease pathogens. Furthermore, the project has extensive educational and training activities for students from high school to postdoctoral fellows.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.