Understanding the role of odorant receptors in Aedes aegypti larvae

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dc.contributor.authorJonson, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeWilkins, Olivia (Biological Sciences)
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteePrehna, Gerd (Microbiology)
dc.contributor.supervisorWhyard, Steve
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-26T17:11:45Z
dc.date.available2024-02-26T17:11:45Z
dc.date.issued2024-02-16
dc.date.submitted2024-02-16T17:34:00Zen_US
dc.degree.disciplineBiological Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science (M.Sc.)
dc.description.abstractWorldwide, mosquitoes are of great medical and economic importance due to their profound negative impact on humans. Mosquitoes act as both nuisance pests and disease vectors that account for millions of cases of illness and death annually. They rely on complex olfactory systems for many of their fundamental processes such as finding mates, identifying egg-laying sites, and directly linked to their disease vectoring capabilities, locating blood-meals. Their olfactory systems rely on three major categories of receptors: odorant receptors, ionotropic receptors, and gustatory receptors. These receptors, along with sensors of various environmental cues such as CO2, heat, and humidity, contribute to the mosquito’s chemosensory responses. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is responsible for the transmission of key diseases such as dengue virus, yellow fever virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus. Because of its profound impacts on human health, there is growing interest in exploring new ways to disrupt Ae. aegypti’s olfactory-based behaviours as a means of reducing disease transmission. While there are numerous studies focused on adult mosquito chemoreception, little is known about these processes in mosquito larvae. Here, a chemotaxis response assay was developed to examine which naturally occurring chemicals would attract Ae. aegypti larvae. Mosquito larvae were subsequently fed E. coli bacteria expressing double stranded RNA targeting a larval specific odorant receptor, OR34. RNA interference knockdown of the gene’s transcript was confirmed via qRT-PCR, and chemotaxis assays were used to identify putative odorant ligands to this receptor. This research describes a simple chemotaxis response assay that can be used to identify larval mosquito attractants and an effective way to identify odorant receptors’ potential ligands. Using this information, it should be possible to screen for other ligands that may be used to disrupt mosquito olfaction, and thus develop novel larval mosquito control methods.
dc.description.noteMay 2024
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/38028
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectMosquitoes
dc.subjectAedes aegypti
dc.subjectMolecular biology
dc.subjectRNAi
dc.subjectInsect olfaction
dc.subjectOdorant receptors
dc.subjectLarval olfaction
dc.titleUnderstanding the role of odorant receptors in Aedes aegypti larvae
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
local.subject.manitobano
oaire.awardTitleNSERC CGS-M
project.funder.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100000038
project.funder.nameNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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