Researchers identify gene key to mating of yellow fever mosquitos

NAGOYA - A team of researchers from Japanese and U.S. universities has identified a gene in yellow fever mosquitos key to the mechanism of mating, in a discovery that could lead to new strategies for controlling reproduction of the insect, the team said in an international journal published Wednesday.

The gene is responsible for males being drawn to the sound of the wingbeat of females. Mutating this gene, known as the fruitless gene, in males makes them incapable of locating female mosquitoes to mate, according to the team, comprising researchers from Nagoya University and the University of Iowa.