Taste perception in the disease vector mosquito Aedes albopictus

项目摘要 蚊子是传播全球性传染病的危险病媒。伊蚊 albopictus（Ae.白纹伊蚊），也被称为亚洲虎蚊，是一种高度适应性和 一种具有侵略性的疾病媒介，它迅速入侵了除南极洲以外的地球上的每一个大陆。 蚊子使用化学线索来指导行为，如寻找宿主，叮咬和产卵。 对蚊子化学感受的进一步了解可能会极大地促进 控制病媒的新方法。人们一直在努力了解蚊子的嗅觉，但 人们对它们的味觉知之甚少。特别是，几乎没有人知道 在Ae的味道。白纹伊蚊，一种现在在美国的疾病媒介，其全球范围正在迅速扩大 因为它比其他物种更有竞争力，也因为气候变化。 在这里，我提出了一个多学科的方法，使用电生理学，分子 遗传学和行为学分析，以探讨味觉的机制。白纹伊蚊 我将阐明这个物种味觉编码的基本原理，我将系统地筛选 味觉化合物引起强烈的电生理和行为反应。我将绘制 表达的味觉受体的男性和女性的味觉器官和描述的依赖性 它们的进食状态。我将从功能上测试味觉接受的遗传基础， 产生转基因CRISPR突变蚊子。我推测，阿。白纹伊蚊使用 味觉线索，指导关键行为，如喂养和产卵。其中一些 味剂可以作为识别宿主的线索。这项研究还可以确定 化学感觉线索，是有用的，在控制Ae。白纹伊蚊及其传播的疾病

PROJECT SUMMARY Mosquitoes are dangerous disease vectors that transmit global infectious disease. Aedes albopictus (Ae. albopictus), also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is a highly adaptive and aggressive disease vector that has rapidly invaded every continent on earth except Antarctica. Mosquitoes use chemical cues to guide behaviors such as finding a host, biting, and egg-laying. Improved understanding of mosquito chemoreception may greatly facilitate the development of new means of vector control. Efforts have been made to understand olfaction in mosquitoes, but remarkably little is known about their sense of taste. In particular, virtually nothing is known about taste in Ae. albopictus, a disease vector now in the US whose global range is fast growing because it outcompetes other species and because of climate change. Here I propose a multidisciplinary approach using electrophysiology, molecular genetics, and behavioral analysis to investigate the mechanisms of taste in Ae. albopictus. I will elucidate basic principles of taste coding in this species, and I will systematically screen for taste compounds that evoke strong electrophysiological and behavioral responses. I will map the expression of taste receptors to taste organs of males and females and describe the dependence of their expression on feeding status. I will functionally test the genetic basis of taste reception by generating transgenic CRISPR mutant mosquitoes. I hypothesize that Ae. albopictus uses taste cues to guide critical behaviors such as feeding and oviposition. Some of these tastants may serve as cues in the identification of hosts. This study may also identify chemosensory cues that are useful in controlling Ae. albopictus and the diseases it transmits.