Regulation of blood feeding behavior in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

描述（由申请人提供）：嗅觉线索引导蚊子接近人类，蚊子从中获得完成卵巢发育所需的血液。在疟蚊冈比亚按蚊（Anopheles gambiae）中，寻找宿主在蚊子吸食血液后的72小时内被抑制或抑制。这种行为的分子基础尚不清楚，但可以用体液控制机制来解释，其中嗅觉系统的敏感性在吸血后发生改变。在这个项目中，我将研究特定气味受体的下调改变雌性冈比亚按蚊吸血后寻找宿主行为的假设。世界上许多最具破坏性的热带疾病都是由昆虫叮咬传播的。其中一种昆虫，按蚊，负责传播疟疾寄生虫。通过了解按蚊是如何利用化学线索找到人类的，有可能通过控制这些昆虫的叮咬行为来限制疟疾等疾病的传播。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Olfactory cues guide mosquitoes toward humans, from which the mosquitoes derive the blood they need to complete ovarian development. In the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, host-seeking is suppressed or inhibited for about 72 hours after the mosquito takes a blood meal. The molecular basis for this behavior remains unknown, but may be explained by a humoral control mechanism in which the sensitivity of the olfactory system is altered following blood-feeding. In this project, I will examine the hypothesis that down-regulation of specific odorant receptors modifies the host-seeking behavior of female Anopheles gambiae after blood-feeding. Many of the world's most devastating tropical diseases are spread by the bite of an insect. One of these insects, the Anopheles mosquito, is responsible for spreading the malaria parasite. By understanding how Anopheles mosquitoes use chemical cues to find humans, it may be possible to limit the spread of diseases such as malaria by controlling the biting behaviors of these insects.