Session: Artificial Intelligence in Mosquito and Vector Control/Behavior/Biology/Genetics
153 - Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use the Ionotropic Receptor Ir68a to identify water sources
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
4:00pm – 4:10pm
Location: D3
Abstract: Female mosquitoes rely heavily on chemical cues to effectively navigate their environment to survive. A key component that dictates the survival of mosquitoes is the ability to swiftly find water sources to successfully complete their life cycle. Larvae and pupae develop in water before becoming adults that eclose into the air. Adult mosquitoes must avoid dehydration; their susceptibility to desiccation which like other insects arises from their open circulatory system. Thus, hygrosensory behavior is essential to their role as competent disease vectors. Ionotropic Receptors (IRs) are a family of olfactory receptors that have evolved from ionotropic glutamate receptors that are conserved across many taxa. IRs are indicated in sensory roles in invertebrates such as chemosensation and thermosensation. However, the role of IRs in mosquito hygrosensory behavior merits further investigation. Here, we identify a behavioral phenotype — mutant Ir68a mosquitoes show decreased ability to find water. Further studies are underway to elucidate how Ir68a allows mosquitoes to sense water.
