疟疾,登革热,黄热病 z-bo 2020-10-15 400

　　It is one of the deadliest animals in the world and a mosquito that smells human blood.

　　Mosquitoes spread diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever, killing at least 1 million people every year. Now, researchers are learning how humans taste mosquitoes until they perceive a single, unique and delicious blood neuron. Leslie Voshall, a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Rockefeller University, and his colleagues published an article in the journal Neuron on October 12, 2020. Specially adjust the taste of female mosquitoes to detect a combination of at least four different substances in the blood. The research team genetically modified the mosquitoes so that the researchers could see which neurons were triggered after the mosquitoes tasted the blood. Chrisporter, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who studies mosquito repellents, said: "This is definitely a journey of technology." He said it is possible to identify specific taste nerves related to blood. yuan. Something you can use to fight mosquitoes. "

　　Vosshall and her team already know how other insects feel. For example, previous studies have found that mosquitoes can detect the mosquito repellent DEET on their feet and identify the odor receptors that mosquitoes use to distinguish between humans and non-humans. Moss is the key to spreading this disease, but it is little known. Rockefeller HHMI Gillian researcher Veronica Jové (Veronica Jové) said: "If the mosquito cannot detect the taste in the blood, then theoretically it will not spread the disease."

　　Only female mosquitoes can eat blood. , The eggs can grow. This puts women in their place. They need to distinguish between the sweet nectar consumed in most meals and the blood absorbed before spawning.

　　Jové believes that, unlike men, female Aedes aegypti can distinguish these two substances by taste. In fact, behavioral experiments found that female mosquitoes have two feeding methods. They use different mouth parts and detect different tastes. The honey sampling mode detects sugar, and the blood sampling mode uses a "probe" like a syringe to pierce the skin and taste the blood. Jové provides mosquitoes with a mixture of four compounds that can be directed to the blood supply mode: glucose (sugar), sodium chloride (salt), sodium bicarbonate (included in blood and baking soda) and adenosine triphosphate or ATP, A compound that provides energy to cells.

　　Vosshall was very curious. I asked Jové to prepare the ATP solution in the laboratory and took a bite. She said: "It has no taste at all." "ATP is a special mysterious substance that humans will never smell, but mosquitoes must be incredibly exciting and rewarding." Just like humans. Taste buds can distinguish between salty, sweet, bitter, sour and taste. There are also neurons in the mosquito tube that specifically target specific flavors. In order to observe the effects of these taste neurons, the researchers genetically modified the mosquitoes to have fluorescent tags, which will glow when the mosquitoes activate their nerve cells. Next, they observed which cells the probes lit up according to different diets. Only a small part is activated by blood, such as real blood or artificial mixtures of researchers.