Key points:
- Researchers are exploring the idea of targeting mosquito hearing to control the population.
- They found that specific octopamine receptors in the ears of mosquitoes modulate their hearing.
- Novel insecticides can be developed by targeting the octopaminergic system.
Male mosquitoes need to hear female mosquitoes in order to reproduce. In response, they have developed highly sophisticated ears to detect the female flight tones even in swarms of hundreds of mosquitoes flying together. Researchers are now looking for ways to exploit this reliance on hearing to develop new insecticides and control the spread of harmful diseases, such as malaria.
In a recent study, published in Nature Communications, researchers identified a signaling pathway involving a molecule called octopamine that is critical for mosquito hearing and mating partner detection. Examining genes, the team showed that the octopamine receptor specifically peaks in the male mosquito ear as mosquitoes swarm. More precisely, octopamine modulates the frequency tuning and stiffness of the sound receiver in the male ear and controls mechanical changes to boost female detection.
The team then demonstrated that the octopaminergic system in the mosquito ear can be targeted by insecticides. Mosquito mating is a bottleneck for mosquito survival, so identifying new targets to disrupt it is key to controlling disease-transmitting mosquito populations.
“Octopamine receptors are of particular interest as they are highly suitable for insecticide development,” said study author Marta Andrés, professor at the University College London. “We plan to use these findings to develop novel molecules to develop mating disruptors for malaria mosquitoes. Future studies will without doubt deliver deeper insights into how mosquito hearing works and also provide us with novel opportunities to control mosquito populations and reduce human disease.”