Bzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt. Bzzz-SPLAT! Mosquitoes now face a more formidable and entirely unexpected sort of 'swat' thanks to recent research by UW-Madison Insect Physiologist Que Lan and her colleagues in the entomology department. Lan's research targets eliminating mosquitoes by limiting their ability to break down cholesterol.
Yes, mosquitoes have cholesterol too, just like humans. One form of human cholesterol is \good"" cholesterol, which, according to University Health Services, protects the heart and removes excess cholesterol from the bloodstream. Mosquitoes also need cholesterol because it is a vital component in their growth, development and egg production.
Mosquitoes have certain proteins called carrier proteins, which carry cholesterol through their cell fluids. Without these proteins, the cholesterol does not get to the cells that need it. So Lan and her research team are focusing on finding molecules to disrupt carrier proteins, which would ultimately limit mosquitoes' abilities to reproduce. So far, she and her team have found 57 such proteins.
Mosquitoes pose a threat to millions of people due to mosquitoes' notorious ability to spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and West Nile virus. The World Health Organization estimates mosquito-borne diseases affect 300 million people worldwide. Although cases are usually most common in tropical or hot, humid climates, the United States has dealt with its fair share of diseases brought about by these pesky creatures. An outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus in the United States killed 264 people in 2003, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Lan's father battled malaria as a teenager and Lan herself contracted malaria at the age of 13 when she lived in China.
""Mosquito-borne illnesses are endemic in parts of China,"" Lan said. ""If this [research] can be used to control malaria in mosquitoes, then less people will suffer the same fate. I was fortunate. I survived it, but millions don't. It feels like I have done something that may help somebody else.""
Lan's next step is to test the compounds on a variety of insect and vertebrate species to determine their effects, and to screen another 20,000 proteins.
One of Lan's team members, research specialist Kendall Krebs, worked for Lan for three semesters. Krebs performed many of the molecular biology experiments and Lan did most of the data analysis.
""Que was very good at making sure you knew why you were conducting the experiments well before you actually did them. She was always very excited about discovering new data, which in turn made the process of discovery more exciting and interesting for me,"" Krebs said.
