Question

Question 1

a) State the hypothesis in your own words and what is the general research question or topic adressesed by the authors

b) Before the experiments what are 2 possible mechansims for DEET reception that the authors could consider

c) Outline why the authors think their research question is significant

www.pnas.org/content/pnas/111/46/16592.full.pdf

Answer 1

a) State the hypothesis in your own words and what is the general research question or topic addressed by the authors:

Hypothesis: The insect repellent DEET(N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) mode of action in mosquitoes is through the direct activation of an odorant receptor instead of an ionotropic receptor.

The general research question is to identify the mode of action that DEET has on mosquitoes

b) Before the experiments what are 2 possible mechanisms for DEET reception that the authors could consider:

As explained in the previous answer, through their experiments (generation of knockdown mosquitoes for two receptors), the authors want to prove which of the two hypothesized modes of action DEET follows in mosquitoes, which could be through the activation of an inotropic receptor or an odorant receptor.

c) Outline why the authors think their research question is significant: Once the researchers after their experiments determined that DEET's mode of activation in a type of mosquito is through the direct activation of an odorant receptor, they know have discovered the specific molecular target of DEET, and this could help to design other repellents that activate the same receptor but that could be cheaper and healthier to use.