NUTRIENT TRANSPORT TO MOSQUITO OOCYTES

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All insects provide essential nutrients to their eggs. Failure to provide these nutrients will result in failure of the embryo to develop. Determination of the molecular events of transport and sequestration of nutrients in the egg should provide new targets for specific control of insect pests, especially vectors of human and animal diseases. We will investigate the transport of two essential nutrients--iron and lipids--to the oocytes of the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Since the adult female must feed on vertebrate blood in order to produce eggs, we will study the utilization of both inorganic and heme iron from the blood meal for egg production. Focus will be on the carrier proteins for transport through the hemolymph and the uptake and storage in the oocyte. This will involve iron-binding proteins, transferrin and ferritin, and receptors that allow iron to enter cells. Lipid transport from the fat body to the oocyte involves release, probably facilitated by a lipid transport particle, transport by lipoproteins, unloading at the ovary facilitated by lipoprotein lipase and a receptor for binding the lipoprotein to the cell membrane. Attempts will be made to assess the effectiveness of interfering with the function of the various macromolecular components. The ultimate goal is to provide systems that will allow development of specific materials that inhibit insect reproduction.