Dataset Information

The Diversity of Yellow-Related Proteins in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae).

ABSTRACT: Yellow-related proteins (YRPs) present in sand fly saliva act as affinity binders of bioamines, and help the fly to complete a bloodmeal by scavenging the physiological signals of damaged cells. They are also the main antigens in sand fly saliva and their recombinant form is used as a marker of host exposure to sand flies. Moreover, several salivary proteins and plasmids coding these proteins induce strong immune response in hosts bitten by sand flies and are being used to design protecting vaccines against Leishmania parasites. In this study, thirty two 3D models of different yellow-related proteins from thirteen sand fly species of two genera were constructed based on the known protein structure from Lutzomyia longipalpis. We also studied evolutionary relationships among species based on protein sequences as well as sequence and structural variability of their ligand-binding site. All of these 33 sand fly YRPs shared a similar structure, including a unique tunnel that connects the ligand-binding site with the solvent by two independent paths. However, intraspecific modifications found among these proteins affects the charges of the entrances to the tunnel, the length of the tunnel and its hydrophobicity. We suggest that these structural and sequential differences influence the ligand-binding abilities of these proteins and provide sand flies with a greater number of YRP paralogs with more nuanced answers to bioamines. All these characteristics allow us to better evaluate these proteins with respect to their potential use as part of anti-Leishmania vaccines or as an antigen to measure host exposure to sand flies.

SUBMITTER: Sima M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5094789 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The Diversity of Yellow-Related Proteins in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae).

Sima Michal M Novotny Marian M Pravda Lukas L Sumova Petra P Rohousova Iva I Volf Petr P

PloS one 20161103 11

Yellow-related proteins (YRPs) present in sand fly saliva act as affinity binders of bioamines, and help the fly to complete a bloodmeal by scavenging the physiological signals of damaged cells. They are also the main antigens in sand fly saliva and their recombinant form is used as a marker of host exposure to sand flies. Moreover, several salivary proteins and plasmids coding these proteins induce strong immune response in hosts bitten by sand flies and are being used to design protecting vacc ...[more]

PMID: 27812196

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Project description:BackgroundPhlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are haematophagous insects that transmit the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), the main causative agent of both zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in the Mediterranean basin. Eight species of sand flies have been previously recorded in Romania: Phlebotomus papatasi, Phlebotomus alexandri, Phlebotomus sergenti, Phlebotomus perfiliewi, Phlebotomus neglectus, Phlebotomus longiductus, Phlebotomus balcanicus and Sergentomyia minuta. Three of them (P. perfiliewi, P. neglectus and P. balcanicus) were incriminated as vectors of L. infantum. Recent reports of autochthonous CanL in Romania require updates on sand fly distribution and diversity in this country.MethodsBetween 2013-2014 and 2016-2018, CDC light traps and mouth aspirators were used to collect sand flies in 132 locations from Romania, indoors and around various animal species shelters. Species identification of collected specimens was done using morphological keys, genetic tools and MALDI-TOF protein profiling.ResultsSand flies were present in seven localities (5.3%): Eibenthal, Baia Nouă, Gura Văii (south-western Romania, Mehedinţi County); Fundătura, Pâhneşti, Epureni (eastern Romania, Vaslui County); and Schitu (southern Romania, Giurgiu County). Of the total number of collected sand flies (n = 251), 209 (83.27%) were Phlebotomus neglectus, 39 (15.53%) P. perfiliewi, 1 (0.40%) P. papatasi, 1 (0.40%) P. balcanicus and 1 (0.40%) P. sergenti (sensu lato).ConclusionsWe confirmed the presence of five sand fly species previously recorded in Romania. However, their updated distribution differs from historical data. The diversity of sand fly species in Romania and their presence in areas with Mediterranean climatic influences constitutes a threat for the reemergence of vector-borne diseases. In the context of CanL and VL reemergence in Romania, but also due to imported cases of the diseases in both humans and dogs, updates on vector distribution are imperative.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Blood-sucking phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. Different Phlebotomus species transmit different Leishmania species causing leishmaniases which are neglected diseases emerging/reemerging in new regions. Thirteen sand fly species, ten belonging to the medically important genus Phlebotomus and three belonging to Sergentomyia are known in Greece. An increasing number of human and dog cases are reported each year from all parts of the country including the Aegean Islands. However, no previous study has been conducted on the sand fly fauna on the islands, except for Rhodes and Samos. The aim of this study was to investigate sand fly species in eleven small Aegean islands; to understand species-specific relationships with environmental and climatic factors and to compare sand fly community parameters among islands. A risk analysis was carried out for each species using climatic and environmental variables. RESULTS:Nine sand fly species: Phlebotomus neglectus, P. tobbi, P. similis, P. simici, P. perfiliewi, P. alexandri, P. papatasi, Sergentomyia minuta and S. dentata, were collected from the islands studied. Phlebotomus (Adlerius) sp. and Sergentomyia sp. specimens were also collected but not identified to the species level. There was a positive effect of distance from the sea on the abundance of P. neglectus, S. minuta and S. dentata, and a negative effect on the abundance of P. tobbi, P. simici and P. similis. In general, temperature preferences of sand fly populations were between 21 and 29 °C. Nevertheless, there were significant differences in terms of temperature and relative humidity preference ranges among species. The most important species found, P. neglectus, was indisputably the most adapted species in the study area with a very high reaction norm, favoring even the lower temperature and humidity ranges. Overall, the sand fly fauna in the islands was very rich but there were differences in species diversity, as indicated by the values of the Shannon-Wiener index, along with evenness and richness of the sand fly fauna between the islands and altitude ranges in the islands. CONCLUSIONS:The study indicated that the Greek Aegean Islands, however small, maintain a rich sand fly fauna. This includes important vectors of Leishmania spp. representing a risk for parasite transmission to humans and dogs along with the danger of maintaining new Leishmania spp. if introduced to the area.

Project description:BackgroundSandflies are insects important for the transmission cycles of the leishmaniases. Despite being studied since the 1960s in the State of Rondônia (Brazil), several gaps exist regarding our working knowledge of these insects. This study aimed to construct an up-to-date database of sandflies using complementary information from the speciesLink database and the scientific literature, as well as to elaborate integrated abundance maps. We identified 153,155 records of sandflies captured in Rondônia between 1965-2021; after exclusion, 147,258 reports (speciesLink - 3,408, Rondônia studies - 143,850) associated with 15 genera and 140 species were mapped. The most abundant species observed were Psychodopygusdavisi (Root, 1934) (43,818 records), Nyssomyiawhitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) (12,594), Psychodopyguscarrerai (Barretto, 1946) (11,840), Psychodopygushirsutus (Mangabeira, 1942) (9,676), Nyssomyiaantunesi (Coutinho, 1939) (8,847), Trichophoromyiaubiquitalis (Mangabeira, 1942) (5,505), Psychodopygusgeniculatus (Mangabeira, 1941) (4,644), Pintomyianevesi (Damasceno & Arouck, 1956) (4,140), Trichophoromyiaauraensis (Mangabeira, 1942) (3,579), Psychodopyguscomplexus (Mangabeira, 1941) (2,659), Nyssomyiafraihai (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1979) (2,504) and Bichromomyiaflaviscutellata (Mangabeira, 1942) (1,418). A total of 20 records of Leishmania detection corresponded to eight sand fly species. The present dataset provides updated information on the distribution of sandflies of Rondônia, including those considered potential vectors of Leishmania, which should prove useful to guide future studies.New informationThe present study provides an extensive dataset built from all studies reporting phlebotomine sandflies in the Brazilian State of Rondônia. Online distribution maps can aid scientists who wish to consult the updated list of sand fly species and view the distribution of these insects, as well as those considered potential vectors of Leishmania. The results of the present study can serve as the basis for future studies on sandflies conducted in the State.

Project description:BackgroundRecent climate and environmental changes have resulted in the geographical expansion of Mediterranean Leishmania infantum vectors towards northern latitudes and higher altitudes in different European countries, including Italy, where new foci of canine leishmaniasis have been observed in the northern part of the country. Northern Italy is also an endemic area for mosquito-borne diseases. During entomological surveillance for West Nile virus, mosquitoes and other hematophagous insects were collected, including Phlebotomine sand flies. In this study, we report the results of Phlebotomine sand fly identification during the entomological surveillance conducted from 2017 to 2019.MethodsThe northeastern plain of Italy was divided by a grid with a length of 15 km, and a CO2-CDC trap was placed in each geographical unit. The traps were placed ~ 15 km apart. For each sampling site, geographical coordinates were recorded. The traps were operated every two weeks, from May to November. Sand flies collected by CO2-CDC traps were identified by morphological and molecular analysis.ResultsFrom 2017 to 2019, a total of 303 sand flies belonging to the species Phlebotomus perniciosus (n = 273), Sergentomyia minuta (n = 5), P. mascittii (n = 2) and P. perfiliewi (n = 2) were collected, along with 21 unidentified specimens. The trend for P. perniciosus collected during the entomological surveillance showed two peaks, one in July and a smaller one in September. Sand flies were collected at different altitudes, from -2 m above sea level (a.s.l.) to 145 m a.s.l. No correlation was observed between altitude and sand fly abundance.ConclusionsFour Phlebotomine sand fly species are reported for the first time from the northeastern plain of Italy. Except for S. minuta, the sand fly species are competent vectors of Leishmania parasites and other arboviruses in the Mediterranean Basin. These findings demonstrate the ability of sand flies to colonize new environments previously considered unsuitable for these insects. Even though the density of the Phlebotomine sand fly population in the plain areas is consistently lower than that observed in hilly and low mountainous areas, the presence of these vectors could herald the onset of epidemic outbreaks of leishmaniasis and other arthropod-borne diseases in areas previously considered non-endemic.

Dataset Information

The Diversity of Yellow-Related Proteins in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae).

Publications

The Diversity of Yellow-Related Proteins in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae).

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