RNAi-mediated knockdown of two orphan G protein-coupled receptors reduces fecundity in the yellow fever mosquito .

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control numerous physiological processes in insects, including reproduction. While many GPCRs have known ligands, orphan GPCRs do not have identified ligands in which they bind. Advances in genomic sequencing and phylogenetics provide the ability to compare orphan receptor protein sequences to sequences of characterized GPCRs, and thus gain a better understanding of the potential functions of orphan GPCRs.

The Peptide Hormone CNMa Influences Egg Production in the Mosquito .

Mosquito reproduction is regulated by a suite of hormones, many acting through membrane-bound receptor proteins. The G protein-coupled receptors AAEL024199 (AeCNMaR-1a) and AAEL018316 (AeCNMaR-1b) were identified as orthologs of the CNMa receptor (DmCNMaR). The receptor was duplicated early in the evolution of insects, and subsequently in Culicidae, into what we refer to as CNMaR-1a and CNMaR-1b.