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Publication Date
2022-05-09
First Advisor
Steven A. Williams
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Biochemistry
Keywords
Neglected Tropical Diseases, RNAi, Aedes albopictus, Aedes polynesiensis
Abstract
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are debilitating diseases that affect one-sixth of the global population. Most of them are transmitted by mosquitoes since they are the most prevalent viral and parasitic vectors. Since mosquitoes have a large contribution in the transmission of NTDs, finding effective ways to make them less efficient disease vectors is an important task for disease control. The circadian clock of mosquitoes has a large impact on host-seeking rhythmicity for disease vectors, meaning it is an important aspect in mosquito biology. The circadian rhythm is heavily dependent on clock gene expression levels, which are regulated by a series of transcriptional and translational feedback loops (TTFL). The long-term aim of this study is to use RNA interference to knockdown the expression of core clock genes in Aedes albopictus, also known as Asian tiger mosquito, and Aedes polynesiensis, also known as Polynesian tiger mosquito, to observe changes in their feeding behavior. For my project, two Ae. albopictus cell lines, U4.4 and C6/36, are being transfected to observe changes in clock gene expression levels prior to doing the same in mosquitoes. Both Ae. albopictus and Ae. polynesiensis are diurnal feeders, meaning their peak biting times are during sunrise and sunset. Knocking down positive regulators of the feedback loop will likely affect their normal feeding pattern and aid in lessening the spread of a variety of diseases.
Rights
©2022 Sungwoo Hwang. Access limited to the Smith College community and other researchers while on campus. Smith College community members also may access from off-campus using a Smith College log-in. Other off-campus researchers may request a copy through Interlibrary Loan for personal use.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Hwang, Sungwoo, "Knockdown of Core Clock Genes in Aedes albopictus and Aedes polynesiensis" (2022). Honors Project, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/2445
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