Dataset Information

Aquaglyceroporin function in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

ABSTRACT: Anopheles gambiae is the major mosquito vector for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where it survives in stressful climates. Aquaporin water channels are expressed in all life forms, where they provide environmental adaptation by conferring rapid trans-cellular movement of water (classical aquaporins) or water plus glycerol (aquaglyceroporins). Here, we report an aquaglyceroporin homolog in A. gambiae, AgAQP3 (A. gambiae aquaglyceroporin 3).Despite atypical pore-lining amino acids, AgAQP3 is permeated by water, glycerol and urea, and is not significantly inhibited by 1 mM HgCl2 . AgAQP3 is expressed more heavily in male mosquitoes, yet adult female A. gambiae abundantly express AgAQP3 in Malpighian tubules and gut where large amounts of fluid exchange occur during blood meal digestion, water and nutrient absorption and waste secretion. Reducing expression of AgAQP3 by RNA interference reduces median mosquito survival at 39°C. After an infectious blood meal, mosquitoes with depleted AgAQP3 expression exhibit fewer P. falciparum oocysts in the midgut compared to control mosquitoes.Our studies reveal critical contributions of AgAQP3 to A. gambiae heat tolerance and P. falciparum development in vivo.This study indicates that AgAQP3 may be a major factor explaining why A. gambiae is an important malaria vector mosquito in sub-Saharan Africa, and may be a potential target for novel malaria control strategies.

SUBMITTER: Liu K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5731640 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Aquaglyceroporin function in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

Liu Kun K Tsujimoto Hitoshi H Huang Yuzheng Y Rasgon Jason L JL Agre Peter P

Biology of the cell 20161001 10

<h4>Background information</h4>Anopheles gambiae is the major mosquito vector for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where it survives in stressful climates. Aquaporin water channels are expressed in all life forms, where they provide environmental adaptation by conferring rapid trans-cellular movement of water (classical aquaporins) or water plus glycerol (aquaglyceroporins). Here, we report an aquaglyceroporin homolog in A. gambiae, AgAQP3 (A. gambiae aquaglyceroporin 3).<h4> ...[more]

PMID: 27406921

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Project description:As pathogens that circumvent the host immune response are favoured by selection, so are host alleles that reduce parasite load. Such evolutionary processes leave their signature on the genes involved. Deciphering modes of selection operating on immune genes might reveal the nature of host-pathogen interactions and factors that govern susceptibility in host populations. Such understanding would have important public health implications.We analyzed polymorphisms in four mosquito immune genes (SP14D1, GNBP, defensin, and gambicin) to decipher selection effects, presumably mediated by pathogens. Using samples of Anopheles arabiensis, An. quadriannulatus and four An. gambiae populations, as well as published sequences from other Culicidae, we contrasted patterns of polymorphisms between different functional units of the same gene within and between populations. Our results revealed selection signatures operating on different time scales. At the most recent time scale, within-population diversity revealed purifying selection. Between populations and between species variation revealed reduced differentiation (GNBP and gambicin) at coding vs. noncoding- regions, consistent with balancing selection. McDonald-Kreitman tests between An. quadriannulatus and both sibling species revealed higher fixation rate of synonymous than nonsynonymous substitutions (GNBP) in accordance with frequency dependent balancing selection. At the longest time scale (>100 my), PAML analysis using distant Culicid taxa revealed positive selection at one codon in gambicin. Patterns of genetic variation were independent of exposure to human pathogens.Purifying selection is the most common form of selection operating on immune genes as it was detected on a contemporary time scale on all genes. Selection for "hypervariability" was not detected, but negative balancing selection, detected at a recent evolutionary time scale between sibling species may be rather common. Detection of positive selection at the deepest evolutionary time scale suggests that it occurs infrequently, possibly in association with speciation events. Our results provided no evidence to support the hypothesis that selection was mediated by pathogens that are transmitted to humans.

Dataset Information

Aquaglyceroporin function in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

Publications

Aquaglyceroporin function in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

Similar Datasets

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