Examination of Odorant Receptors in Anopheles gambiae

化学感觉反应是指导昆虫几种基本行为的关键组件，这些行为是 导致人类许多重要疾病的病原体的媒介。特别是，嗅觉扮演着一个重要的角色 在食血雌性蚊子的寻找和选择行为中的作用，因此，构成了 蚊子传播疾病的关键组成部分，如疟疾、登革热、黄热病和 西尼罗河病毒脑炎。在这种背景下，我对几个分子进行了研究 非洲主要疟疾媒介蚊子的嗅觉信号转导级联元件 冈比亚按蚊对人类宿主的强烈偏好(人类性)是其 与生俱来传播人类疟疾的能力。加深对嗅觉机制及其作用的了解 这一系统中的潜在化学线索可能为昆虫行为反应的过程提供洞察 一般而言，尤其是媒介疾病的传播。此外，这项研究可能会对 针对这一广泛的疾病媒介家族开发新的蚊子控制策略，如 以及通过其传播能力构成相当大的医疗和经济威胁的其他昆虫 疾病，并充当农业害虫。 这项建议的目的是补充正在进行的实验室中的嗅觉阻滞剂在A. 冈比亚亚纲，并重点研究冈比亚亚纲的一个候选气味受体蛋白家族 (Agors)，这是该实验室最近发现的。到目前为止，我们已经确定了44名候选人 Agors并对该基因家族的一小部分进行了初步鉴定。而完全相同的 冈比亚的潜在Agors数量仍有待确定，我们建议开始系统地 通过完成几项关于它们在蚊子中的表达的研究来分析这个基因家族。 首先，为了建立未来研究的战略计划，我们将使用各种分子 识别表现出性别特异性表达模式的AGOR家庭成员的方法。这些阿戈尔人将 形成我们的主要焦点小组，以便随后描述发展、空间和时间 阿戈尔的表达模式。此外，在专门针对AGOR的初步研究的扩展中 在疾病传播的嗅觉过程中的作用，我们是否会提议进行一系列 详细的实验来检验AGOR表达对血液摄取的反应的时间动力学

Chemosensory responses are critical components that direct several essential behaviors of insects that are vectors for pathogens responsible for many important human diseases. In particular, olfaction plays a major role in host seeking and selection behavior of blood-feeding female mosquitoes and as such, constitutes a critical component of the mosquito's ability to transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and West Nile Nile virus encephalitis. Within this context, I have undertaken a molecular examination of several elements of the olfactory signal transduction cascade in the principal African malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto where a significant preference for human hosts (anthropophily) underlies its inherent ability to transmit human malaria. An increased understanding of olfactory mechanisms and their underlying chemical cues in this system may provide insight in the processes of insect behavioral responses in general and vector disease transmission in particular. Moreover, this study would likely be instrumental in the development of novel mosquito control strategies targeted against this broad family of disease vectors as well as other insects that pose considerable medical and economic threats through their abilty to transmit disease and to act as agricultural pests. The objectives of this proposal complements ongoing studies in the laboratory of olfactory arrestins in A. gambiae and focus on an examination of a family of candidate odorant receptor proteins in A. gambiae (AgORs) that has recently been identified by this laboratory. Thus far, we have identified 44 candidate AgORs and have performed an initial characterization of a small subset of this gene family. While the exact number of potential AgORs remain to be established in A. gambiae, we proposed to begin a systematic analysis of this gene family by completing several studies focusing on their expression in the mosquito. Intially, in order to establish a strategic plan for future studies, we will employ a variety of molecular approaches to identify AgOR family members that exhibt sex-specific expression patterns. These AgORs will form our primary focus group for subsequent characterization of the developmental, spatial and temporal expression pattems of AgORs. In addition, in a extension of initial studies that specifically targets AgOR's role in the olfactory processes that underlie disease transmission, will we propose to conduct a series of detailed experiments to examine the temporal kinetics of AgOR expression in response to blood feeding