Odorant reception in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

Allison F. Carey, Guirong Wang, Chih-Ying Su, Laurence J. Zwiebel and John R. Carlson ()
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Allison F. Carey: Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
Guirong Wang: Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Institutes of Chemical Biology and Global Health and Program in Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
Chih-Ying Su: Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
Laurence J. Zwiebel: Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Institutes of Chemical Biology and Global Health and Program in Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA
John R. Carlson: Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA

Nature, 2010, vol. 464, issue 7285, 66-71

Abstract: Abstract The mosquito Anopheles gambiae is the major vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. It locates its human hosts primarily through olfaction, but little is known about the molecular basis of this process. Here we functionally characterize the Anopheles gambiae odorant receptor (AgOr) repertoire. We identify receptors that respond strongly to components of human odour and that may act in the process of human recognition. Some of these receptors are narrowly tuned, and some salient odorants elicit strong responses from only one or a few receptors, suggesting a central role for specific transmission channels in human host-seeking behaviour. This analysis of the Anopheles gambiae receptors permits a comparison with the corresponding Drosophila melanogaster odorant receptor repertoire. We find that odorants are differentially encoded by the two species in ways consistent with their ecological needs. Our analysis of the Anopheles gambiae repertoire identifies receptors that may be useful targets for controlling the transmission of malaria.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08834

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