Examination of Odorant Receptors in Vector Mosquitoes

描述（由申请人提供）：化学感觉反应是控制昆虫几种基本行为的关键组成部分，昆虫是导致许多重要人类疾病的病原体的载体。特别地，嗅觉在吸血雌性蚊子的宿主寻找和产卵选择行为中起主要作用，并且因此构成蚊子传播疾病如疟疾、登革热、黄热病和西尼罗河病毒脑炎的能力的关键组成部分。在这种情况下，我们与我们的同事一起，进行了几个元素的嗅觉信号转导级联的主要非洲疟疾媒介蚊子冈比亚按蚊狭义和虫媒病毒载体埃及伊蚊的分子和细胞检查。嗅觉机制及其潜在的化学线索，在这些系统中的了解增加，可以提供洞察昆虫的行为反应的过程中一般和疾病传播的媒介，特别是可能有助于发展新的蚊子控制策略。我们已经取得了显着的进展，在这两个蚊子系统的嗅觉过程的几个方面的特征，导致，除其他事项外，识别和初步表征的气味受体蛋白家族在一个。gambiae（AgORs）和Ae.埃及伊蚊（AaOR）位于嗅觉信号通路的核心。在这些进展的基础上，竞争性更新的建议侧重于扩展我们正在进行的计划的几个要素，包括表征：（1）AgOR和AaOR之间的结构/功能关系，（2）AgOR和同源气味结合蛋白（AgOBP）在幼虫嗅觉和体内气味编码中的作用，以及（3）妊娠成年雌性选择产卵位点的分子事件。 公共卫生相关性：我们已经对嗅觉（嗅觉）的要素进行了分子和细胞检查，这些要素在很大程度上驱动了疟疾和虫媒病毒媒介蚊子的几种重要行为。对嗅觉机制及其在这些系统中的潜在化学线索的进一步了解可能会提供对蚊子行为反应和疾病传播过程的深入了解。这些信息可能有助于开发新的蚊子控制策略。到目前为止，我们已经取得了重大进展，现在建议扩展，我们的表征嗅觉过程的几个方面，在这两个蚊子系统，专注于一个大家族的气味受体蛋白在一个。gambiae（AgORs）和Ae.埃及伊蚊（AaOR）位于嗅觉信号通路的核心。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chemosensory responses are critical components in the control of 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 oviposition selection behaviors 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 virus encephalitis. Within this context, and together with our colleagues, we have undertaken a molecular and cellular examination of several elements of the olfactory signal transduction cascade in the principal African malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and the arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti. An increased understanding of olfactory mechanisms and their underlying chemical cues in these systems may provide insight into the processes of insect behavioral responses in general and disease transmission by vectors in particular and would likely be instrumental in the development of novel mosquito control strategies. We have made significant progress in the characterization of several aspects of olfactory process in both mosquito systems leading to, among other things, the identification and initial characterizations of a family of odorant receptor proteins in An. gambiae (AgORs) and Ae. aegypti (AaORs) that lie at the heart of the olfactory signaling pathway. Building on those advances, this proposal for competitive renewal focuses on extending several elements of our ongoing program including characterization of: (1) structure/function relationships between AgORs and AaORs, (2) the role of AgORs and cognate odorant binding proteins (AgOBPs) in the context of larval olfaction and odor coding in vivo and (3) the molecular events underlying oviposition site selection by gravid adult females. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We have undertaken a molecular and cellular examination of elements of the sense of smell (olfaction) that largely drive several important behaviors in malaria and arbovirus vector mosquitoes. An increased understanding of olfactory mechanisms and their underlying chemical cues in these systems may provide insight into the processes of mosquito behavioral responses and disease transmission by vectors. This information would likely be instrumental in the development of novel mosquito control strategies. Thus far, we have made significant progress and now propose to extend, our characterization of several aspects of olfactory process in both mosquito systems that focus on the role and interactions of a large family of odorant receptor proteins in An. gambiae (AgORs) and Ae. aegypti (AaORs) that lie at the heart of the olfactory signaling pathway.