The Dysregulation of Tuning Receptors and Transcription Factors in the Antennae of and Mutants in Suggests a Chemoreceptor Regulatory Mechanism Involving the MMB/dREAM Complex.

Olfaction has been extensively studied in the yellow fever mosquito, . This species uses its sense of smell to find blood hosts and other resources, contributing to its impact as a vector for human pathogens. Two major families of protein-coding genes, the odorant receptors () and the ionotropic receptors (), provide the mosquito with sensitivities to distinct classes of volatile compounds in the antennae. Individual tuning receptors in both families require co-receptors for functionality: for all , and for many , especially ones that are involved in carboxylic acid detection. In , disruptions of or impair receptor function, tuning receptor expression, and membrane localization, leading to general anosmia. We reasoned that and might also be important for coordinated chemosensory receptor expression in the antennal sensory neurons of . To test this, we performed RNAseq and differential expression analysis in wildtype versus and mutant adult female antennae. Our analyses revealed and tuning receptors are broadly under-expressed in mutants, while a subset of tuning are under-expressed in mutants. Other chemosensory and non-chemosensory genes are also dysregulated in these mutants. Furthermore, we identify differentially expressed transcription factors including homologs of the gene. These data suggest a previously unknown pleiotropic role for the and co-receptors in the coordination of expression of chemosensory receptors within the antennae of by participating in a feedback loop involving and members of the complex.