Data_Sheet_3_Olfaction-Related Gene Expression in the Antennae of Female Mosquitoes From Common Aedes aegypti Laboratory Strains.pdf

Adult female mosquitoes rely on olfactory cues like carbon dioxide and other small molecules to find vertebrate hosts to acquire blood. The molecular physiology of the mosquito olfactory system is critical for their host preferences. Many laboratory strains of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti have been established since the late 19th century. These strains have been used for most molecular studies in this species. Some earlier comparative studies have identified significant physiological differences between different laboratory strains. In this study, we used a Y-tube olfactometer to determine the attraction of females of seven different strains of Ae. aegypti to a human host: UGAL, Rockefeller, Liverpool, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and two odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco) mutants Orco2 and Orco16. We performed RNA-seq using antennae of Rockefeller, Liverpool, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico females. Our results showed that female Aedes aegypti from the Puerto Rico strain had significantly reduced attraction rates toward human hosts compared to all other strains. RNA-seq analyses of the antenna transcriptomes of Rockefeller, Liverpool, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico strains revealed distinct differences in gene expression between the four strains, but conservation in gene expression patterns of known human-sensing genes. However, we identified several olfaction-related genes that significantly vary between strains, including receptors with significantly different expression in mosquitoes from the Puerto Rico strain and the other strains.

成年雌性蚊子依靠二氧化碳及其他小分子等嗅觉线索，寻找脊椎动物宿主以获取血液。蚊子嗅觉系统的分子生理机制，是其宿主偏好形成的关键。自19世纪末以来，科研人员已建立多株黄热病媒介埃及伊蚊（Aedes aegypti）实验室品系，这些品系被广泛应用于该物种的绝大多数分子生物学研究。过往部分比较研究已发现，不同埃及伊蚊实验室品系间存在显著的生理差异。本研究采用Y型嗅觉仪（Y-tube olfactometer），检测7株不同埃及伊蚊（Ae. aegypti）雌性个体对人类宿主的趋性：分别为UGAL、Rockefeller、Liverpool、Costa Rica、Puerto Rico品系，以及2株气味受体共受体（Orco）突变体Orco2与Orco16。本研究针对Rockefeller、Liverpool、Costa Rica及Puerto Rico品系的雌蚊触角进行了RNA测序（RNA-seq）。研究结果显示，与其余所有品系相比，Puerto Rico品系的埃及伊蚊雌性个体对人类宿主的趋性显著降低。对上述4个品系雌蚊触角转录组的RNA测序分析显示，4个品系间的基因表达存在显著差异，但已知的人类宿主感知相关基因的表达模式较为保守。不过，本研究仍鉴定出多株品系间表达差异显著的嗅觉相关基因，其中包括在Puerto Rico品系与其余品系蚊子中表达量差异显著的受体基因。