USF-LVHN SELECT
Humidity sensors that alert mosquitoes to nearby hosts and egg-laying sites.
Publication/Presentation Date
3-15-2023
Abstract
To reproduce and to transmit disease, female mosquitoes must obtain blood meals and locate appropriate sites for egg laying (oviposition). While distinct sensory cues drive each behavior, humidity contributes to both. Here, we identify the mosquito's humidity sensors (hygrosensors). Using generalizable approaches designed to simplify genetic analysis in non-traditional model organisms, we demonstrate that the ionotropic receptor Ir93a mediates mosquito hygrosensation as well as thermosensation. We further show that Ir93a-dependent sensors drive human host proximity detection and blood-feeding behavior, consistent with the overlapping short-range heat and humidity gradients these targets generate. After blood feeding, gravid females require Ir93a to seek high humidity associated with preferred egg-laying sites. Reliance on Ir93a-dependent sensors to promote blood feeding and locate potential oviposition sites is shared between the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae and arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti. These Ir93a-dependent systems represent potential targets for efforts to control these human disease vectors.
Volume
111
Issue
6
First Page
874
Last Page
887
ISSN
1097-4199
Published In/Presented At
Laursen, W. J., Budelli, G., Tang, R., Chang, E. C., Busby, R., Shankar, S., Gerber, R., Greppi, C., Albuquerque, R., & Garrity, P. A. (2023). Humidity sensors that alert mosquitoes to nearby hosts and egg-laying sites. Neuron, 111(6), 874–887.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.025
Disciplines
Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
36640768
Department(s)
USF-LVHN SELECT Program, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Students
Document Type
Article