Olfactory Mechanisms for Discovery of Odorants to Reduce Insect-Host Contact

Clark, J. T.; Ray, Anandasankar

doi:10.1007/s10886-016-0770-3

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Disrupting this specificity by activating all ORCO-positive ORNs in the presence of human odor has been hypothesized to prevent host-seeking (11,12). Studies in Drosophila, an insect model of olfaction, show that binary systems can be used to express non-native ORs in ORCO-positive ORNs to confer ectopic neuronal responses without interfering with native olfactory physiology.…”

Section: Significance Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Feedback Mechanism RegulatesOdorant ReceptorExpression in the Malaria Mosquito,Anopheles gambiae

Maguire

Afify

Goff

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Mosquitoes locate and approach humans (‘host-seek’) when specific Olfactory Neurons (ORNs) in the olfactory periphery activate a specific combination of glomeruli in the mosquito Antennal Lobe (AL). We hypothesize that dysregulating proper glomerular activation in the presence of human odor will prevent host-seeking behavior. In experiments aimed at ectopically activating most ORNs in the presence of human odor, we made a surprising finding: ectopic expression of an AgOr (AgOr2) in Anopheles gambiae ORNs dampens the activity of the expressing neuron. This contrasts studies in Drosophila melanogaster, the typical insect model of olfaction, in which ectopic expression of non-native ORs in ORNs confers ectopic neuronal responses without interfering with native olfactory physiology. To gain insight into this dysfunction in mosquitoes, RNA-seq analyses were performed comparing wild-type antennae to those ectopically expressing AgOr2 in ORNs. Remarkably, almost all Or transcripts were significantly downregulated (except for AgOr2), and additional experiments suggest that it is AgOR2 protein rather than mRNA that mediates this downregulation. Our study shows that ORNs of Anopheles mosquitoes (in contrast to Drosophila) employ a currently unexplored regulatory mechanism of OR expression, which may be adaptable as a vector-control strategy.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTStudies in Drosophila melanogaster suggest that insect Olfactory Receptor Neurons (ORNs) do not contain mechanisms by which Odorant Receptors (ORs) regulate OR expression. This has proved useful in studies where ectopic expression of an OR in Drosophila ORNs confers responses to the odorants that activate the newly expressed OR. In experiments in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, we found that ectopic expression of an OR in most Anopheles ORNs dampened the activity of the expressing neurons. RNA-seq analyses demonstrated that ectopic OR expression in Anopheles ORNs leads to downregulation of endogenous Or transcripts. Additional experiments suggest that this downregulation required ectopic expression of a functional OR protein. These findings reveal that Anopheles mosquitoes, in contrast to Drosophila, contain a feedback mechanism to regulate OR expression. Mosquito ORNs might employ regulatory mechanisms of OR expression previously thought to occur only in non-insect olfactory systems.

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Section: Significance Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Feedback Mechanism RegulatesOdorant ReceptorExpression in the Malaria Mosquito,Anopheles gambiae

Maguire

Afify

Goff

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Combinatorial coding increases odor sensitivity to several-fold, where each OR can respond to multiple ligands and a single ligand can activate more than one OR [45]. Moreover, a single odorant can either elicit attractive responses or activate repellent pathway depending on their quality and concentration which subsequently determine insects' behavior [46,47].…”

Section: Odorant Receptorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuro-Olfactory Regulation and Salivary Actions: A Coordinated Event for Successful Blood-Feeding Behavior of Mosquitoes

De¹,

Dixit²

2020

Dysfunction of Olfactory System [Working Title]

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The synergistic actions of the nongenetic and genetic factors are crucial to shape mosquitoes' feeding behavior. Unlike males, adult female mosquitoes are evolved with unique ability to take blood meals from a vertebrate host for reproductive success which eventually makes them a potential vector. Processing and integration of chemical information in the neuro-olfactory system followed by salivary actions facilitate blood meal uptake process. Thus, deciphering the underlying molecular mechanism of odor sensing through the detection machinery (olfactory system), odor processing and decision-making by decision machinery (brain), and regulation of saliva secretion by the action machinery (salivary gland) is likely to reveal molecular pathways which can be targeted to disrupt mosquitoes' feeding behavior. Here we summarize how smart actions of highly specialized neurosensory systems guide and manage feeding behavior associated complex events of (i) successful navigation to find a suitable host, (ii) making food choice decisions, and (iii) regulation of the salivary gland actions in mosquitoes.

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“…Given the importance of the antennae in interactions of the mosquito with blood meal hosts, they will also influence disease transmission [ 26 – 28 ]. Moreover, the analysis of genetic diversity in sensory perception may help to improve the efficiency of control interventions [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptional variation of sensory-related genes in natural populations of Aedes albopictus

et al. 2020

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Background: The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a highly dangerous invasive vector of numerous medically important arboviruses including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. In four decades it has spread from tropical Southeast Asia to many parts of the world in both tropical and temperate climes. The rapid invasion process of this mosquito is supported by its high ecological and genetic plasticity across different life history traits. Our aim was to investigate whether wild populations, both native and adventive, also display transcriptional genetic variability for functions that may impact their biology, behaviour and ability to transmit arboviruses, such as sensory perception. Results: Antennal transcriptome data were derived from mosquitoes from a native population from Ban Rai, Thailand and from three adventive Mediterranean populations: Athens, Greece and Arco and Trento from Italy. Clear inter-population differential transcriptional activity was observed in different gene categories related to sound perception, olfaction and viral infection. The greatest differences were detected between the native Thai and the Mediterranean populations. The two Italian populations were the most similar. Nearly one million quality filtered SNP loci were identified. Conclusion: The ability to express this great inter-population transcriptional variability highlights, at the functional level, the remarkable genetic flexibility of this mosquito species. We can hypothesize that the differential expression of genes, including those involved in sensory perception, in different populations may enable Ae. albopictus to exploit different environments and hosts, thus contributing to its status as a global vector of arboviruses of public health importance. The large number of SNP loci present in these transcripts represents a useful addition to the arsenal of highresolution molecular markers and a resource that can be used to detect selective pressure and adaptive changes that may have occurred during the colonization process.

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Olfactory Mechanisms for Discovery of Odorants to Reduce Insect-Host Contact

Cited by 32 publications

References 95 publications

A Feedback Mechanism RegulatesOdorant ReceptorExpression in the Malaria Mosquito,Anopheles gambiae

A Feedback Mechanism RegulatesOdorant ReceptorExpression in the Malaria Mosquito,Anopheles gambiae

Neuro-Olfactory Regulation and Salivary Actions: A Coordinated Event for Successful Blood-Feeding Behavior of Mosquitoes

Transcriptional variation of sensory-related genes in natural populations of Aedes albopictus

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