Examination of Odorant Receptors in Anopheles gambiae

超出提供的空间。化学感觉反应是指导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媒介。特别是，嗅觉在食血雌性蚊子寻找和选择宿主的行为中发挥着重要作用，因此，它是蚊子传播疟疾、登革热、黄热病和西尼罗河病毒脑炎等疾病的关键组成部分。在此背景下，我对主要的非洲疟疾媒介蚊子冈比亚按蚊的嗅觉信号转导级联的几个元件进行了分子检测，其中对人类宿主的显著偏好是其传播人类疟疾的固有能力的基础。对嗅觉机制及其在该系统中潜在的化学线索的深入了解，可能有助于深入了解昆虫行为反应的一般过程，特别是媒介疾病的传播。此外，这项研究可能有助于制定新的蚊子控制战略，针对这一广泛的病媒以及其他昆虫，这些昆虫通过其传播疾病和充当农业害虫的能力构成相当大的医疗和经济威胁。这项建议的目的是对冈比亚按蚊嗅觉抑制素实验室正在进行的研究进行补充，并将重点放在对本实验室最近发现的冈比亚按蚊(Agors)候选气味受体蛋白家族的检查上。到目前为止，我们已经确定了44个候选AGOR，并对该基因家族的一小部分进行了初步鉴定。虽然冈比亚按蚊中潜在的AgRs的确切数量仍有待确定，但我们建议通过完成几项专注于它们在蚊子中表达的研究，开始对该基因家族进行系统分析。首先，为了建立未来研究的战略计划，我们将使用各种分子方法来鉴定表现出性别特异性表达模式的AGOR家族成员。这些AGOR将形成我们的主要焦点小组，随后描述AGOR的发育、空间和时间表达模式。此外，在最初专门针对Agor在作为疾病传播基础的嗅觉过程中的作用的研究的扩展中，我们是否会提议进行一系列详细的实验，以检查Agor表达对血液喂养表现部位========================================Section End===========================================的反应的时间动力学

EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. Chemosensory responses are critical components that direct 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 selection behavior 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 Nile virus encephalitis. Within this context, I have undertaken a molecular examination of several elements of the olfactory signal transduction cascade in the principal African malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto where a significant preference for human hosts (anthropophily) underlies its inherent ability to transmit human malaria. An increased understanding of olfactory mechanisms and their underlying chemical cues in this system may provide insight in the processes of insect behavioral responses in general and vector disease transmission in particular. Moreover, this study would likely be instrumental in the development of novel mosquito control strategies targeted against this broad family of disease vectors as well as other insects that pose considerable medical and economic threats through their abilty to transmit disease and to act as agricultural pests. The objectives of this proposal complements ongoing studies in the laboratory of olfactory arrestins in A. gambiae and focus on an examination of a family of candidate odorant receptor proteins in A. gambiae (AgORs) that has recently been identified by this laboratory. Thus far, we have identified 44 candidate AgORs and have performed an initial characterization of a small subset of this gene family. While the exact number of potential AgORs remain to be established in A. gambiae, we proposed to begin a systematic analysis of this gene family by completing several studies focusing on their expression in the mosquito. Intially, in order to establish a strategic plan for future studies, we will employ a variety of molecular approaches to identify AgOR family members that exhibt sex-specific expression patterns. These AgORs will form our primary focus group for subsequent characterization of the developmental, spatial and temporal expression pattems of AgORs. In addition, in a extension of initial studies that specifically targets AgOR's role in the olfactory processes that underlie disease transmission, will we propose to conduct a series of detailed experiments to examine the temporal kinetics of AgOR expression in response to blood feeding PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================