RNA In Situ Hybridization and Immunohistochemistry to Visualize Gene Expression in Peripheral Chemosensory Tissues of Mosquitoes

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, Zika virus, and dengue virus are a menace to the human population. Although many mosquito species are not attracted to humans and do not feed on blood, human-biting female mosquitoes are strongly attracted to people and use chemosensory cues to identify a suitable host for a blood meal. Mosquitoes need blood components to reproduce, rendering them excellent vectors for blood-borne diseases. The three genera (Culex, Anopheles, and Aedes) responsible for most of these diseases find hosts by using their peripheral sensory organs. These organs include the antennae, maxillary palps, and proboscis. All three contain diverse populations of highly sensitive neurons that express sensory receptors that can detect odorants, temperature, chemicals, and tastants. Although these organs are essential to the host-seeking behavior that results in biting, their small size and thick outer cuticle can hinder typical histochemical analyses. Here, we briefly review the role the peripheral sensory organs play in mosquito behavior. Then, we introduce how to investigate their gene expression profiles using immunohistochemical and RNA in situ approaches for both whole-mount and frozen-section preparations.