A transcriptome analysis of the Aedes aegypti antennae

Aedes aegypti is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions around the word and is the main vector of Dengue virus, a human pathogen. Each year approximately 100 million human cases of dengue are reported and approximately 22,000 people succumb to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. Because Ae. aegypti prefers human hosts, it readily transmits Dengue virus between people. The host-seeking behavior of Ae. aegypti is controlled by various genes that encode multiple Olfaction Receptors and Olfaction Binding Proteins which are expressed in the antennae. Female Ae. Aegypti show different behavioral states before and after blood feeding. Prior to blood feeding, Ae. Aegypti actively seek humans. Post blood feeding, they seek oviposition sites. Until now there is no clear information about the changes in gene expression of female antennae during these two behavioral stages. We have studied the transcriptome profile of female Ae. aegypti antennae before and after blood feeding, using next-generation sequencing (Solexa Illumina). Total RNA was extracted from the antennae of multiple females and a cDNA library was constructed and sequenced. Through this process, we aim to identify genes implicated in human host and oviposition site seeking behaviors.