Physiology of Anopheline Mosquito Behavior

9807538在许多种类的蚊子中，雌性蚊子一生只交配一次。当雄性在雌性羽化后不久给雌性授精时，它们不仅会收到精子让卵子受精，还会收到从雄性附属腺转移来的产品。这些附腺产物被认为以各种方式活跃在雌性体内，改变了雌性的行为，关闭了随后的交配行为，并激活了产卵，但这些概括是基于容易被寄居的伊蚊，而这种蚊子通常是实验室研究的对象。在以前确定了这种附腺机制的研究中，没有一项研究检查过蚊子，这些蚊子是疟疾的重要媒介。PI初步实验表明，在这些按蚊中，雄性附腺确实在行为转换中没有作用，尽管交配本身确实在几个方面影响了雌性蚊子。PIS的研究将确定按蚊如何受到交配的影响，以及雄性附腺物质在这些蚊子身上可能扮演的角色。由于未来的蚊子控制方法可能涉及由转基因雄性蚊子引入新的基因，因此了解这些人类疾病媒介中调节交配的机制是很重要的。

Klowden 9807538 In many species of mosquitoes, the females mate only once during their lives. When the males inseminate the females shortly after they emerge, they not only receive sperm to fertilize their eggs, but also products that are transferred from the accessory gland of the male. These accessory gland products have been believed to be active in the female in various ways, switching her behavior to turn off subsequent mating behavior and activate egg-laying, but these generalizations have been based on the easily colonized Aedes mosquitoes that are usually the subjects of laboratory research. None of the previous studies for which this accessory gland mechanism has been determined have examined Anopheles mosquitoes, which are important vectors of malaria. The PIs preliminary experiments indicate that in these Anopheles mosquitoes, male accessory glands indeed have no role in the behavioral switchover, although mating itself does affect the female in several ways. The PIs research will determine how Anopheles mosquitoes are affected by mating, and what possible role male accessory gland substances do play in these mosquitoes. Because future methods of mosquito control may involve the introduction of novel genes by modified males, it is important to understand the mechanisms that regulate mating in these vectors of human disease.