| Title: | Male swarming aggregation pheromones increase female attraction and mating success among multiple African malaria vector mosquito species |
| Author(s): | Mozuraitis R; Hajkazemian M; Zawada JW; Szymczak J; Palsson K; Sekar V; Biryukova I; Friedlander MR; Koekemoer LL; Baird JK; Borg-Karlson AK; Emami SN; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania. Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Eijkman Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Department of Chemical Engineering, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden. Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. noushin.emami@su.se. Molecular Attraction AB, Stockholm, Sweden. noushin.emami@su.se. Natural Resources Institute, FES, University of Greenwich, London, UK. noushin.emami@su.se" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41559-020-1264-9 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2397-334X (Electronic) 2397-334X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Accumulating behavioural data indicate that aggregation pheromones may mediate the formation and maintenance of mosquito swarms. However, chemical cues possibly luring mosquitoes to swarms have not been adequately investigated, and the likely molecular incitants of these complex reproductive behaviours remain unknown. Here we show that males of the important malaria vector species Anopheles arabiensis and An. gambiae produce and release aggregation pheromones that attract individuals to the swarm and enhance mating success. We found that males of both species released significantly higher amounts of 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (acetoin), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (sulcatone), octanal, nonanal and decanal during swarming in the laboratory. Feeding males with stable-isotope-labelled glucose revealed that the males produced these five compounds. A blend composed of synthetic analogues to these swarming odours proved highly attractive to virgin males and females of both species under laboratory conditions and substantially increased mating in five African malaria vectors (An. gambiae, An. coluzzii, An. arabiensis, An. merus and An. funestus) in semi-field experiments. Our results not only narrow a conspicuous gap in understanding a vital aspect of the chemical ecology of male mosquitoes but also demonstrate fundamental roles of rhythmic and metabolic genes in the physiology and behavioural regulation of these vectors. These identified aggregation pheromones have great potential for exploitation against these highly dangerous insects. Manipulating such pheromones could increase the efficacy of malaria-vector control programmes" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Anopheles Female Humans *Malaria Male Mosquito Vectors Pheromones Reproduction; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMozuraitis, Raimondas Hajkazemian, Melika Zawada, Jacek W Szymczak, Joanna Palsson, Katinka Sekar, Vaishnovi Biryukova, Inna Friedlander, Marc R Koekemoer, Lizette L Baird, J Kevin Borg-Karlson, Anna-Karin Emami, S Noushin eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/08/05 Nat Ecol Evol. 2020 Oct; 4(10):1395-1401. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1264-9. Epub 2020 Aug 3" |
