Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Matthew Rouhier

Abstract

Mosquito-borne illness is an increasing challenge to global health, threatening over 40% of the world's population. While many methods of mosquito-borne disease prevention have been established, none are fully effective and economic. In order to develop and eventually implement new disease control methods, there is a need for knowledge regarding the molecular and genetic mechanisms in Aedes aegypti, one of these areas being xenobiotic transport. During xenobiotic transport, mosquitos use special organs called Malpighian tubules that transport metabolites or expel harmful materials. If the transporters in the Malpighian tubules are disrupted, mosquitos are unable to excrete toxic compounds leading to death. Therefore, metabolite transport by transmembrane proteins is an important consideration in the mechanisms that govern mosquito metabolism and survival. We have used predictive software to identify 6 genes we speculate to be organic cation transporters novel (OCTNs) in A. aegypti. To measure the potential function of these transporters, we injected female A. aegypti with xenobiotics Alizarin Yellow GG, Alizarin Yellow R, and Olsalazine and then quantified xenobiotic clearance. We then analyzed mRNA expression 2 hours and 24 hours post injection in relation to the xenobiotic exposure. Our findings demonstrate that changes in xenobiotics alter the transporter expression profiles, the volume and composition of the excreted materials, and affect mortality. These results help bolster the potential of targeting xenobiotic transporters as a viable method for mosquito control.

Rights Statement

All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.

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