Biology Assistant Professor, Dr. Meg Younger, is featured in a Brink article titled, “Mosquitoes have a Bizarre Sense of Smell, Study Finds.” The article discusses how mosquitoes have an unconventional method of detecting odors which could explain their ability to detect humans to pray on. Mosquitoes are the most deadly insects in the world due to their ability to transmit vector-borne diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, dengue, and more. 

Dr. Younger and her team are investigating how mosquitoes utilize odor to track humans, and an effective way to repel mosquitoes. They found that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes thrive in tropical climates. These mosquitoes have typically been found in equatorial states such as Florida and Texas, however, in recent years, they have been detected as far north as Connecticut due to global warming. Climate change has increased the pressure of understanding the odor mechanisms of mosquitos.

The study finds that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes’ olfactory system is organized by gene coexpression with multiple sensory receptors in each neuron. A uniquely specialized olfactory system offers an explanation regarding mosquitoes’ sensitivity to humans.

In her lab, Dr. Younger and her team have developed mosquitoes that express fluorescent proteins, allowing researchers to see chemical responses to odorants under a microscope. CRISPR technology was used to label various sensory neurons while preserving cell protein function.

The results of the study ultimately show that the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have a unique olfactory system that coexpresses sensory receptors within individual sensory neurons, and this might heighten their ability to detect human odor. 

Dr. Younger is now interested in investigating the role of coexpression in Aedes aegypti mosquito behavior:

A compelling idea is that it’s making them good at finding people. As we learn about how odor is encoded in their olfactory system, we can create compounds that are more effective based on their biology.

To read the full article click here.

The Rockefeller University
January 7, 2020
Leslie Vosshall Lab
Photography by John Abbott

Posted 2 years ago on in Faculty News, News