According to the World Health Organization, in the year 2016 the death toll from vector-borne diseases was above 700 million people; with the largest contributor continuing to be the mosquito. Disappointingly, the majority of deaths are preventable if the mosquito-based transmission could be halted. For decades pesticides have focused on targeting the nervous system, while perhaps the most highly specialized organ of the mosquito has received little attention. The Malpighian tubules function as the insect’s kidneys, processing an incredible amount of fluid while identifying and eliminating the foreign, and often toxic, molecules that are acquired as part of a bloodmeal. Here we have begun the task of identifying the transporters present in A. aegypti by scanning the genome for transporter genes and show experimentally that transport of some foreign molecules are sodium-dependent and likely transported by an organic anion transporter or OAT. This finding appears to be consistent with the transport of organic anion in other insects, but the understanding of xenobiotic transport in <i>A. aegypti</i> has special potential to shape pesticide development by shining a light on how Malpighian tubules recognize and eliminate foreign molecules.

Using dye molecules to study xenobiotic transport in the mosquito, <i>A. aegypti</i>

255th National Meeting (2018)

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Using dye molecules to study xenobiotic transport in the mosquito, A. aegypti