Munzareen Khan

Saturation with AWC-sensed odorants cell-autonomously inverts the hexanol response in AWC To investigate the mechanisms by which AWC mediates hexanol attraction or avoidance in a context-dependent manner, we next examined hexanol-evoked changes in intracellular calcium dynamics. Attractive odorants decrease intracellular calcium levels in AWC [43]. Odorant-mediated inhibition of AWC as well as disinhibition and/or activation upon odorant removal together drive attraction [43,52].

Temperature is a critical host-emitted cue for many parasitic species. A recent study shows that skin-penetrating human parasitic hookworms and threadworms exhibit adaptive host-seeking behaviors that are based on their temperature experience, opening up possibilities for new intervention strategies.