Aedes aegypti odorant receptors respond to behaviorally relevant plant volatiles

Mosquitoes require regular sugar meals, usually in the form of floral nectar, to maintain biological function. They locate these sugar meals using sensory proteins called odorant receptors, which can detect key chemical cues that lead them to floral sources of nectar. Through the use of a heterologous expression system and an electrophysiological technique called two electrode voltage clamping, we are able to deorphanize these receptors, or to identify the specific environmental cues that produce responses in specific odorant receptors.Our lab has previously identified odorant receptors in mosquitoes that respond to the floral volatile, linalool. In this study, we have characterized a suite of odorant receptors in the Dengue and Zika vector, Aedes aegypti, that are activated by plant volatile compounds that variously act as attractants or repellents. This information can be used to assess mosquito foraging behavior and develop novel control strategies.