DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qz612jmrb
title: Data from: Deafness due to loss of a TRPV channel eliminates mating behavior in Aedes aegypti males

description: Attraction and mating between male and female animals depend on effective
 communication between conspecifics. However, in mosquitoes, we have only a
 rudimentary understanding of the sensory cues and receptors critical for
 the communication that is essential for reproductive behavior. While it is
 known that male Aedes aegypti use sound to help them identify females, it
 is not unclear whether sound detection is absolutely required, since other
 cues such as vision may also participate in mating behavior. To determine
 the effect of eliminating hearing on mating success, we knocked out the
 Ae. aegypti TRPVa channel, which is a protein expressed in chordotonal
 neurons in the Johnston’s organ (JO) that respond to sound-induced
 movements in the antenna. Loss of trpVa eradicated sound-induced responses
 from the JO, thereby abolishing hearing. Strikingly, mutation of trpVa
 eliminated mating behavior in males. In contrast, trpVa-null females
 mated, although this behavior was slightly delayed relative to wild-type
 females. Males and females produce sounds as they beat their wings at
 distinct frequencies during flight. Sound mimicking the female wingbeat
 induced flight, attraction, and copulatory-like behavior in wild-type
 males without females present, but not in trpVa-null males. Males are
 known to modulate their wingbeat frequencies before mating in the air,
 which is a phenomenon referred to as rapid frequency modulation (RFM). We
 found that RFM was absent in mosquitoes lacking TRPVa. We conclude that
 the requirement for trpVa and hearing for male reproductive behavior in
 Aedes is absolute, as mating in the deaf males is eliminated.
description: # Deafness eliminates mating behavior in Aedes aegypti males
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qz612jmrb](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qz612jmrb) ## Description of the data and file structure We assayed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that were rendered deaf by genetic deletion of the trpVa gene. The following are video, audio and electrophysiological recordings that were performed to assay the hearing, courtship and flight behavior of the mosquitoes and the characteristics of the audio stimuli.  ## Files and variables #### **File: Figure\_1F.zip** Description: This set of data contains electroantennogram recordings taken from the Johnston’s Organ of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The filetype is .adicht and can be read using AD Instruments and the free LabChart Reader. #### **File: Figure\_1G.zip** Description: This set of data contains electroantennogram recordings taken from the Johnston’s Organ of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The filetype is .adicht and can be read using AD Instruments and the free LabChart Reader. #### **File: Figure\_3A.zip** Description: This data set contains videos of male mosquitoes attempting to copulate with females over a five minute period. The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### **File: Figure\_4B.zip** Description: This data set contains videos of wild-type mosquito (male, female without CO2, females with CO2) attraction to different frequencies (300-1000 Hz, 100 Hz increments). The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### **File: Figure\_4C.zip** Description: This data set contains videos of male mosquito (*trpVa1/2*, *trpVa1/+*, *trpVa2/+*) attraction to different frequencies (300-1000 Hz, 100 Hz increments). The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### **File: Figure\_4D.zip** Description: This data set contains videos of male mosquito (wild-type and *trpVa1/2*) attraction to 400 Hz across different decibels (70-102 dB). The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### **File: Figure\_5A.zip** Description: This data set contains videos of male and female mosquitoes (wild-type and *trpva1/2*) in flight inside a wind-tunnel. The file type is .mp4 and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. The recordings are arranged in folders that describe the genotype and sex of the mosquito tested. Each folder contains files generated by FlyTracker which was used to analyze mosquito trajectories and can be opened in MATLAB. Each folder also contains MS Excel files in which the daata generated by FlyTracker were further analyzed.  #### File: Figure\_5B.zip Description: This data set contains videos of male mosquitoes (wild-type and *trpva1/2*) in a cage responding to a sound stimulus. The file type is .avi and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player.  #### File: Figure\_5C.zip Description: This data set contains videos of several male mosquitoes and tethered female mosquitoes which had their wings either glued or free. The file type is .avi and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player.  #### File: Figure\_6F.zip Description: This data set contains videos of wild-type male mosquitoes bending their abdomens in response to different frequencies (300-1000 Hz, 100 Hz increments, 10 seconds). The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### File: Figure\_6G.zip Description: This data set contains videos of male mosquitoes (wild-type and *trpva1/2*) bending their abdomens in response to a 400 Hz sound stimulus (10 seconds). The file type is .wmv and can be read on several media players including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player. #### File: Figure\_7.zip Description: This data set contains audio files of a pair of mosquitoes (wild-type male and wild-type female, wild-type male and *trpVa1/2* female, *trpVa1/2* male and wild-type female, *trpVa1/2 *male and *trpVa1/2* female). The file type is .wav and can be read using the Audacity software. #### File: Figure\_S3.zip Description: This set of data contains electroantennogram recordings taken from the Johnston’s Organ of male and female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The filetype is .adicht and can be read using AD Instruments and the free LabChart Reader. #### File: Figure\_S7.zip Description: This folder contains audio recordings from two speakers - Yamaha HS8 and Creative Pebble V2. The filetype is .wav and can be opened in a media player for listening or in a platform such as Audacity for analysis. This folder also contains text files of the audio spectrum analyzed using Audacity.  #### File: Figure\_S8.zip Description: This folder contains audio recordings taken with a TASCAM DR-44WL from different parts of a mosquito cage when sine tones of two frequencies: 400 Hz and 800 Hz were played using a Creative Pebble V2 speaker placed outside one side of the cage. The files can be opened in a media player for listening or in a platform such as Audacity for analysis. This folder also contains text files of the audio spectrum values analyzed using Audacity and MS Excel files that show the analysis performed using the text files. In the MS Excel files, each tab corresponds to the location in the mosquito cage where the recording was made. The tab labels correspond to the labels shown in Figure S8 in the manuscript.