Title |
Evolution of mosquito preference for humans linked to an odorant receptor
|
---|---|
Published in |
Nature, November 2014
|
DOI | 10.1038/nature13964 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Carolyn S. McBride, Felix Baier, Aman B. Omondi, Sarabeth A. Spitzer, Joel Lutomiah, Rosemary Sang, Rickard Ignell, Leslie B. Vosshall |
Abstract |
Female mosquitoes are major vectors of human disease and the most dangerous are those that preferentially bite humans. A 'domestic' form of the mosquito Aedes aegypti has evolved to specialize in biting humans and is the main worldwide vector of dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. The domestic form coexists with an ancestral, 'forest' form that prefers to bite non-human animals and is found along the coast of Kenya. We collected the two forms, established laboratory colonies, and document striking divergence in preference for human versus non-human animal odour. We further show that the evolution of preference for human odour in domestic mosquitoes is tightly linked to increases in the expression and ligand-sensitivity of the odorant receptor AaegOr4, which we found recognizes a compound present at high levels in human odour. Our results provide a rare example of a gene contributing to behavioural evolution and provide insight into how disease-vectoring mosquitoes came to specialize on humans. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 31 | 24% |
Japan | 10 | 8% |
United Kingdom | 5 | 4% |
France | 3 | 2% |
Australia | 2 | 2% |
Germany | 2 | 2% |
Norway | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Belgium | 1 | <1% |
Other | 14 | 11% |
Unknown | 60 | 46% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 78 | 60% |
Scientists | 46 | 35% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 3 | 2% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 3 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 6 | <1% |
Brazil | 3 | <1% |
Germany | 2 | <1% |
France | 2 | <1% |
Portugal | 2 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
Taiwan | 2 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Other | 5 | <1% |
Unknown | 800 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 171 | 21% |
Researcher | 164 | 20% |
Student > Master | 104 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 97 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 40 | 5% |
Other | 117 | 14% |
Unknown | 133 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 354 | 43% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 106 | 13% |
Neuroscience | 45 | 5% |
Environmental Science | 31 | 4% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 25 | 3% |
Other | 107 | 13% |
Unknown | 158 | 19% |