Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Research team discovers hormone that causes malaria mosquito to urinate

Research team discovers hormone that causes malaria mosquito to urinate

August 25, 2005

Prior to coming to Nevada 16 years ago, David Schooley was a key figure at a small company in Palo Alto, Calif. that developed methoprene, an insecticide that halts the maturation of insect larvae to adults.

Methoprene, which has the same effect as an insect hormone called juvenile hormone, also stops the insect from reproducing. It is being used heavily throughout the United States to help prevent the spread of West Nile Virus.

Schooley's contribution to the development of methoprene was to prove that it is harmless to animals and the environment.




"Table salt is far more toxic," said Schooley, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources

The problem with methoprene, however, is that for a species such as the tobacco hornworm, methoprene causes it to grow larger instead of transforming into a moth, enhancing the pest's ability to devastate crops.

"It's not a great way to sell an insecticide to a farmer," Schooley said. "Most money in pesticide development is in making insecticides for pests which attack crops."

This is what lead Schooley, and his colleague Geoff Coast of the University of London, down the path of finding a way to control insects that are pests at the larval stage, a path that has them instead potentially paving the way for better mosquito control.

A potential solution to the problem of killing insects at any stage of development may be found in peptide hormones, small proteins in all animals that regulate most bodily functions. While researching the genome of the malaria mosquito, Schooley discovered two different types of diuretic hormones similar to those from other insect species. These were synthesized at the University of Nevada, Reno then sent to London to study their effects on mosquitoes.

When a mosquito sucks blood from a human-and only pregnant female mosquitoes do this-it will take in twice its body weight in blood. To decrease this added weight, the mosquito urinates on its victim to release fluids.

Coast discovered that introducing one of the two diuretic hormones, DH31, into the mosquito causes the mosquito to excrete fluid rich in sodium chloride, the main salt in blood.

"Only DH31 causes the massive loss of sodium chloride which causes the mosquito to pee," Schooley said. "Stimulation of this process when the mosquito is not feeding could make the mosquito die."

Implications of this discovery, which is published in September's issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology, could lead to the development of a pesticide for controlling mosquitoes.

"Synthetic compounds that mimic the action of these peptide hormones should be useful as pesticides," Schooley said. "Like methoprene, DH31 only affects lower species such as insects, which suggests it should be very safe to non-insect species.\\\

University of Nevada



Related Mosquito Current Events and Mosquito News Articles Mosquito Current Events and Mosquito News RSS Mosquito Current Events and Mosquito News RSS
Caltech and UCSD scientists establish leech as model for study of reproductive behavior
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have discovered that injecting a simple hormone into leeches creates a novel way to study how hormones and the nervous system work together to produce species-specific reproductive behavior.

Barrier in mosquito midgut protects invading pathogens
Scientists studying the Anopheles gambiae mosquito - the main vector of malaria - have found that when the mosquito takes a blood meal, that act triggers two enzymes to form a network of crisscrossing proteins around the ingested blood.

ARS study provides a better understanding of how mosquitoes find a host
The potentially deadly yellow-fever-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito detects the specific chemical structure of a compound called octenol as one way to find a mammalian host for a blood meal, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.

Experimental vaccine protects monkeys against chikungunya
Imagine a mosquito-borne virus that has already infected millions of people in recent outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia, the islands of the Indian Ocean, Africa and northern Italy.

Study: Climate change one factor in malaria spread
Climate change is one reason malaria is on the rise in some parts of the world, new research finds, but other factors such as migration and land-use changes are likely also at play.

Health care volunteers and disasters: First, be prepared
A surge in volunteers following a major disaster can overwhelm a response system, and without overall coordination, can actually make a situation worse instead of better.

Flightless mosquitoes developed to help control dengue fever
A new strain of mosquitoes in which females cannot fly may help curb the transmission of dengue fever, according to UC Irvine and British scientists.

Scientists transplant nose of mosquito, advance fight against malaria
Scientists at Vanderbilt and Yale universities have successfully transplanted most of the "nose" of the mosquito that spreads malaria into frog eggs and fruit flies and are employing these surrogates to combat the spread of the deadly and debilitating disease that afflicts 500 million people.

Bad news for mosquitoes: Yale study may lead to better traps, repellents
Yale University researchers have found more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect compounds in human sweat, a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually.

Scientists find ideal target for malaria therapy
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a protein made by the malaria parasite that is essential to its ability to take over human red blood cells.
More Mosquito Current Events and Mosquito News Articles
Blue Rhino SkeeterVac SV3100 Mosquito Eliminator, Up to 1 Acre

Blue Rhino SkeeterVac SV3100 Mosquito Eliminator, Up to 1 Acre
by Blue Rhino

New Skeetervac SV3100 Mosquito Elimination covers up to 1 acre

Mosquito Bits 30 Oz.

Mosquito Bits 30 Oz.
by Summit Chemical Company

Quick kill for mosquito larva. Simply sprinkle in any standing water. Mosquitoes are gone fast. Environmentally sound biological mosquito control. Mosquito Bits kill fast-within 24 hours-before mosquitoes are old enough to bite. EPA registered in all 50 states.

ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent

ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent
by ThermaCELL

What's the newest thing in fishing? •It's not a lure,• it's a Repellent• And you don't have to put it on!• ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent provides 225 sq ft zone of protection• Repels mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums• Up to 98% effective• Odor free• Cordless! No plugs, no batteries• Tested by the US Army• Great for hunting, fishing, and camping.• Item # MRG12-00

Flowtron MA-1000-6 Octenol Mosquito Attractant Cartridges (6-Pack)

Flowtron MA-1000-6 Octenol Mosquito Attractant Cartridges (6-Pack)
by Flowtron

Makes your insect killer up to 5 times more effective at killing mosquitoes and biting flies

SpringStar - Mosquito Trap

SpringStar - Mosquito Trap
by SpringStar

This unique mosquito trap catches only the ones that bite. Particularly effective on the Culex mosquito, the one that spreads west nile virus. The trap works by luring female mosquitoes inside using a pheromone- once inside they cannot escape. Two per average yard will reduce the population significantly. Trap can be rinsed out and reused many times during the season, more bait will be required (SpringStar mosquito refill lure, item S1519). Try it, you'll like it.

Mosquito

Mosquito
by Roma Tearne (Author)

Set adrift by the recent death of his wife, Theo Samarajeeva abandons his comfortable writer’s life in London and returns to Sri Lanka, his war- torn homeland. There he meets Nulani, a talented and enigmatic young artist. An unorthodox and tenuous love blossoms between this unlikely pair. Nulani finally feels love, and Theo sees hope in his future. But when the insurgency explodes, their precarious world is torn apart. Theo is held captive and stripped of everything he once held dear. Nulani is forced into exile. As the years pass, and the poison of war spreads across this paradise, will their love be lost forever? By turns heartbreaking and uplifting, Mosquito is a first novel of remarkable beauty and compelling power.

Mosquito Dunks - 20 Pack Safely Kill Mosquito Larvae in Fish Ponds, Bird Baths, and Standing Water

Mosquito Dunks - 20 Pack Safely Kill Mosquito Larvae in Fish Ponds, Bird Baths, and Standing Water
by SUMMIT CHEMICAL COMPANY

Biological mosquito control with natural organic materials. Kills mosquitoes for 30 days or longer when placed in standing water outdoors. Place wherever water accumulates. 1 dunk treats 100 sq, ft. of surface area of standing water.

Flowtron BK-80D  80-Watt, 1-1/2-Acre Electronic Insect Killer

Flowtron BK-80D 80-Watt, 1-1/2-Acre Electronic Insect Killer
by Flowtron

Effective, Environmentally Friendly, Maintenance Free. Attracts and Kills Flying Insect Pests. Recommended for areas up to 1-1/2 acresRid your outdoor living areas of flying insect pests - without harming the environment! Insect remains, uncontaminated by pesticides, fall to the ground to be naturally reabsorbed into the ecosystem. Maintenance free operation features UV light and an electrified grid that eliminates thousands of flying pests for just pennies a day. The decorative lantern even doubles as security lighting! Add optional Octenol attractant for improved effectiveness. Two 40-watt, high-intensity, "U" shaped, ultraviolet (black light) bulbs BF-150. Transformer-powered Vertical Rod killing grid system. FREE USDA-tested Octenol mosquito attractant slow release cartridge. Easy...

Flowtron Model BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer (1/2 Acre Coverage)

Flowtron Model BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer (1/2 Acre Coverage)
by Flowtron Outdoor Products

Electronic Insect Killer 15-watts: 1/2 Acre Radius

Mosquito

Mosquito
Starring: Gunnar Hansen, Ron Asheton, Steve Dixon, Rachel Loiselle, Tim Lovelace
Directed By: Gary Jones
Also With: Gary Jones (Writer), Andre Blay (Producer), Dale Jones (Producer), Danial G. Dubin (Producer), David Thiry (Producer), Steve Hodge (Writer), Tom Chaney (Writer)

Millions of years of evolution have just become mankind's worst nightmare. In the terrifying tradition of "Alien" and "Predator" comes "Mosquito," a spine tingling tale of an alien force that transforms tiny insects into monstrous mutants with a lust for human blood. Sci Fi master Andre Blay presents nature's most horrifying thriller!

© 2010 BrightSurf.com