Many species of mosquitoes, including the major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, utilize olfactory and temperature cues in host-seeking behaviors that underlie their vectorial capacity. By using a combination of molecular and physiological approaches, we have studied the three head appendages of female An. gambiae mosquitoes, the antenna, the maxillary palp and the proboscis, and have characterized their respective functions in olfaction or thermoreception that might impact the host-seeking behavior of An. gambiae. Specifically, we have described three types of sensilla, the labellar T2 sensilla, the palpal capitate pegs and the antennal small coeloconica sensilla, and have characterized their responses to olfactory or temperature stimulation and have identified the underlying molecular and cellular components of these sensilla. These results facilitate the understanding of how An. gambiae mosquitoes sense human hosts that might be exploited to compromise their ability to transmit malaria.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-07152008-150518 |
| Date | 18 July 2008 |
| Creators | Lu, Tan |
| Contributors | Douglas G. McMahon, Terry L. Page, Kenneth C. Catania, Daniela Drummond-Barbosa, Laurence J. Zwiebel |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu//available/etd-07152008-150518/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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