Regulation of blood feeding behavior in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

描述(申请人提供)：嗅觉提示引导蚊子接近人类，蚊子从人类那里获得完成卵巢发育所需的血液。在疟疾蚊子冈比亚按蚊中，寻找宿主的行为在蚊子进食血液后大约72小时内被抑制或被抑制。这种行为的分子基础尚不清楚，但可以用一种体液控制机制来解释，在这种机制中，嗅觉系统的敏感度在吸血后发生变化。在这个项目中，我将检验一种假说，即特定气味受体的下调会改变雌性冈比亚按蚊在吸血后寻找宿主的行为。世界上许多最具破坏性的热带疾病都是通过昆虫的叮咬传播的。其中一种昆虫是按蚊，负责传播疟疾寄生虫。通过了解按蚊如何利用化学线索寻找人类，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.