Olfactory Ionotropic Receptors in Mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are a conserved family of ligand-gated ion channels that primarily function to mediate neuronal communication at synapses. A variant subfamily of iGluRs, the ionotropic receptors (IRs), was recently identified in insects and proved with the function in odorant recognition. Ionotropic receptors participate in a distinct olfactory signaling pathway that is independent of olfactory receptors activity. In the present study, we identify 102 putative IR genes, dubbed as AalbIr genes, in mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) by in silico comparative sequence analysis. Among AalbIr genes, 19 show expression in the female antenna by RT-PCR. These putative olfactory AalbIRs share four conservative hydrophobic domains of amino acids, similar to the transmembrane and ion channel pore regions found in conventional iGluRs. To determine the potential function of these olfactory AalbIRs in host-seeking, we compared their transcript expression levels in the antennae of blood-fed females with that of non-blood-fed females by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Three AalbIr genes showed downregulation when the mosquito finished a bloodmeal. These results may help to improve our understanding of the IR-mediated olfactory signaling in mosquitoes.