Time-of-day modulation in mosquito response persistence to carbon dioxide is controlled by Pigment-Dispersing Factor

Significance Mosquitoes use rhythmic sensory responses to find human hosts, but the role of circadian rhythms in this behavior is not well understood. Using an automated assay, we show that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes’ responses to CO2, a critical host cue, vary with time of day. While activation is stable during daylight, persistence peaks at dawn and dusk, matching natural biting times. At night, activation is suppressed, suggesting internal circadian gating of host-seeking. We identify the neuropeptide Pigment-Dispersing Factor (PDF) as crucial in regulating this rhythm. Loss of PDF disrupts blood feeding success in the morning and impairs the mosquito circadian clock. These findings offer insights for vector control strategies that target natural periods of reduced biting to fight mosquito-borne diseases.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

• Publication date

  2025-11-11

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1073/pnas.2520826122PMID 41218121PMCID 12646304
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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