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Genetic Studies of Vector Species

Genetic Studies of Vector Species

283 - Identifying key olfactory co-receptors Aedes aegypti use to distinguish attractive human skin commensal communities

Thursday, March 6, 2025
11:25 AM – 11:35 AM AST
Location: 209
Abstract: Mosquito-borne illnesses continue to have a detrimental impact on human health worldwide and understanding how mosquito choose a favorable human host is more crucial than ever. Complex odor plumes that are generated from bacterial metabolism of sweat and sebum on the skin are an important and variable cue in mosquito-host seeking behavior. Despite approximately 140 million years of evolutionary difference, four common skin bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Brevibacterium epidermidis, Corynebacterium epidermidis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) have been shown to attract the anthropophilic Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes in one combination more than another. Furthermore, we have evidence that Ae. aegypti females can distinguish one the high attraction in vitro community of skin commensals from the low attraction community. We will expand on this knowledge by identifying the receptors that these mosquitoes use to differentiate the high and low attraction communities. Mutant Ae. aegypti females that lack function odorant co-receptors like Orco, Ir8a, and Ir25a are known to have decreased responses to particular human odors. We are utilizing these mutants to determine how behavioral responses in a uniport olfactometer differ from the wild-type counterparts. Each mutant will be presented with monocultures of the four skin bacteria, as well as the high attraction and low attraction co-culture communities. Additionally, we will assess the behavioral responses of these mutants in a two-choice assay when presented with the same mono- and co-culture communities. Knowing these receptors lays the foundation for the development of mosquito traps with chemicals that have a higher binding affinity than natural odor-ligands, offering an innovative way to combat mosquito-borne illnesses.