Jason Pitts, PhD

Education

BS, Ball State University, Muncie, IN
MA, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
PhD, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Courses Taught

Undergraduate Biology Courses

Graduate Catalog

• BIO1305 Modern Concepts in Biology
• BIO2201 Biology of Global Health
• BIO3V90/4V90 Directed Research
• BIO4304 Medical Entomology
• BIO5300 Sensory Biology & Perception

In the News

Baylor Connections: Dr. Tamar Carter and Dr. Jason Pitts

Research Interests

• Arthropod Disease Vectors

Arthropod-borne diseases continue to plague developing regions and are being recognized as rising threats to public health in developed nations. Anthropogenic factors such as trade, international travel, global climate change, and habitat modification are major contributors to the spread of vectors and disease-causing agents. Moreover, pesticide/drug resistance and unsustainable control programs in many locations have eroded current methods of vector control and disease treatment. New insights into the biology of disease-transmitting insect and tick species are acutely needed in order to combat their devastating effects on human health and economic prosperity.

Our lab investigates the sensory neuronal basis for behaviors in disease-transmitting arthropods, especially mosquito vectors of arboviruses like Dengue and Zika. Of particular interest are the pathways that contribute to chemical- and temperature-oriented behaviors such as host seeking, nectar feeding and oviposition site selection. One of our major goals is to understand complex biological systems by employing a range of techniques including gene expression, neurophysiology, and animal responses to sensory stimuli. A long-term objective of our efforts will be to contribute to reductions in human and animal disease transmission at local, national, and regional levels by developing novel methods of arthropod surveillance and control that can be integrated into existing pest management programs.

Selected Publications:

Vainer Y, Wang Y, Huff RM, Ghaninia M, Coutino-Abreu IV, Sar-Shalom E, Ruiz C, Perets D, Yakir E, Rajamanickam D, Warburg A, Papathanos P, Akbari OS, Ignell R, Riffell JA, Pitts RJ*, Bohbot JD* (2026). “Sensory coding of borneol repellency in culicine mosquitoes via the Or49 pathway.” Nature Comms 17(1): 2981   *co-communicating authors

Leon Noreña M, Jandu S, Boyi J, Ibarra Bouzada L, Rouyar A., Coutinho Abreu I, Chen F, Akbari OS, Pitts RJ, Riffell J (2025) Review: “The olfactory neurobiology and chemical ecology of mosquito attraction to plant nutrient sources.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 292(2057): 20251806.

Cooke MM, Chembars MS 2nd, Pitts RJ (2025). “The Dysregulation of Tuning Receptors and Transcription Factors in the Antennae of Orco and Ir8a Mutants in Aedes aegypti Suggests a Chemoreceptor Regulatory Mechanism Involving the MMB/dREAM Complex.” Insects. 16(6).

Cooke MM, Chembars M, Pitts RJ (2025). “The Conserved IR75 Subfamily Mediates Carboxylic Acid Detection in Insects of Public Health and Agricultural Importance.” J Insect Sci. 25(1).

Cattaneo AM, Kwadha CA, Pullmann-Lindsley H, Erdei AL, Pitts RJ, Walker WB 3rd. (2025). “Functional Characterization of a Female-Biased Chemoreceptor of the Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) Responding to Aldehydes and Other Volatile Compounds”. J Chem Ecol. 51(2):28.

Pullmann-Lindsley H, Huff RM, Boyi J, Pitts RJ (2024). “Odorant receptors for floral- and plant-derived volatiles in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).” PLoS One. 19(5):e0302496.

Vainer Y, Wang Y, Huff RM, Ghaninia M, Coutinho-Abreu IV, Sar-Shalom E, Ruiz C, Perets D, Yakir E, Rajamanickam D, Warburg A, Papathanos P, Akbari OS, Ignell R, Riffell JA, Pitts RJ, Bohbot JD (2024). “The evolution of borneol repellency in culicine mosquitoes.” bioRxiv. Aug 4; doi: 10.1101/2023.08.01.548337.

Ray G, Huff RM, Castillo JS, Bellantuono AJ, DeGennaro M, Pitts RJ (2023). “Carboxylic acids that drive mosquito attraction to humans activate ionotropic receptors.” PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 17(6):e0011402.

Pullmann-Lindsley H, Bartlett-Miller A, Pitts RJ (2023). “Diols and sugar substitutes in attractive toxic sugar baits targeting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes.” J Med Entomol. 2023 Sep 12;60(5):1022-1029.

Huff RM, Pitts RJ (2022). “Functional conservation of anopheline linalool receptors through 100 million years of evolution.” Chem Senses. Jan 1;47: bjac032.

Mann J, Pitts RJ (2022) “PrimedSherlock: a tool for rapid design of highly specific CRISPR-Cas12 crRNAs.” BMC Bioinform. 23: 428.

Lindsley HP, Lyons HB, Leon-Noreña M, Pitts RJ (2022) “Survivorship-reducing effect of propylene glycol on vector mosquito populations and its potential use in attractive toxic sugar baits.” Insects. 13(7): 595.

Sames WJ, Hamik J, Mann J, Bast JD, Pitts RJ (2022) “Aedes japonicus japonicus in Nebraska and Texas.” J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 38(2): 92-95.

Pitts RJ, Huff RM, Shih SJ, Bohbot JD (2021) “Identification and functional characterization of olfactory indolergic receptors in Musca domestica.” Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 139: 103653.