Project description:Aedes mosquitoes transmit pathogenic arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses, putting nearly half the world’s population at risk. Blocking virus replication in mosquitoes rather than in humans serves as a promising approach to prevent arbovirus transmission, which requires in-depth knowledge of mosquito immunity. By integrating multi-omics data, we identified that heat shock factor 1 (Hsf1) regulates eight small heat shock protein (sHsp) genes within one topological associated domain. This Hsf1-sHsp cascade acts as an early response against chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection and shows pan-antiviral activity in three vector mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Anopheles gambiae. We then assessed the baseline expression of sHsp genes in different tissues of female Ae. aegypti using RNA-seq, and we observed a highly dynamic expression pattern of sHsp genes that varied dramatically across different tissues. Interestingly, sHsp genes were expressed at low levels in two main barrier tissues, the midgut and salivary glands, compared to other tissues such as the crop. Importantly, activation of Hsf1 led to a reduced CHIKV infection rate in adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, demonstrating Hsf1 as a promising target for the development of novel intervention strategies to limit arbovirus transmission by mosquitoes.
Project description:This analysis compare gene expression between 4 day old sugar fed female and male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Keywords: Aedes aegypti sex specific expression
Project description:We used our deep sequence data and bioinformatics to analyzed the miRNA repertoires expressed in the CA of pupae, sugar-fed and blood-fed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In total, 156 mature miRNAs were detected in the CA, with 84 displaying significant differences in expression among the three CA developmental stages. Notably, the changes in the miRNA repertoire in the CA in the pupa-adult transition have completely different characteristics compared with the changes from sugar-fed to blood-fed mosquitoes.
Project description:The impact of global climate change on the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases is the subject of extensive debate. The transmission of mosquito-borne viral diseases is particularly complex, with climatic variables directly affecting many parameters associated with the prevalence of disease vectors. While evidence shows that warmer temperatures often decrease the extrinsic incubation period of an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus), exposure to cooler temperatures often predisposes disease vector mosquitoes to higher infection rates. RNA interference pathways are essential to antiviral immunity in the mosquito; however, few experiments have explored the effects of temperature on the RNAi machinery. Total small RNAs (miRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, etc.) were isolated and sequenced from the heads of sensor strain Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, or from the whole bodies of CHIKV-infected Aedes albopictus mosquitoes 8 hours post infection. Mosquitoes were grown at 18C or 28C in replicates of 1 (Ae. aegypti) or 3 (Ae. albopictus).
Project description:Efficient virus replication in its vector, Aedes mosquitoes, is essential for the transmission of arboviral diseases like dengue virus (DENV) in populations. In order to identify RNA-independent host factors involved in DENV replication in mosquitoes, we established a system expressing all non-structural proteins within the context of the macro protein complex as observed during viral infections. We GFP-tagged Loqs to purify it's interactors by label-free mass spectrometry.
Project description:Upon water loss, some organisms pause their life cycles and escape death. While widespread in microbes, this is less common in animals. Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for viral diseases. Aedes eggs can survive dry environments, but molecular and cellular principles enabling egg survival through desiccation remain unknown. In this report, we find that Aedes aegypti eggs, in contrast to Anopheles stephensi, survive desiccation by acquiring desiccation tolerance at a late developmental stage. We uncover unique proteome and metabolic state changes in Aedes embryos during desiccation that reflect reduced central carbon metabolism, rewiring towards polyamine production, and enhanced lipid utilization for energy and polyamine synthesis. Using inhibitors targeting these processes in blood-fed mosquitoes that lay eggs, we infer a two-step process of desiccation tolerance in Aedes eggs. The metabolic rewiring towards lipid breakdown and dependent polyamine accumulation confers resistance to desiccation. Furthermore, rapid lipid breakdown is required to fuel energetic requirements upon water re-entry to enable larval hatching and survival upon rehydration. This study is fundamental to understanding Aedes embryo survival and in controlling the spread of these mosquitoes.
Project description:Rockefeller and Singapore strain Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes differ in the number of bacteria present in the midgut. Females from each strain were either maintained on 3% sucrose solution, fed a sterile blood meal, or fed a blood meal containing a cocktail of bacteria. Differential transcript abundance was compared between females from each strain/treatment combination and a common reference sample pool. The overall goal was to determine how gene expression in Rockefeller females differs from Singapore females in order to better understand why the gut microbiome differs between the strains.
Project description:Efficient virus replication in its vector, Aedes mosquitoes, is essential for the transmission of arboviral diseases like dengue virus (DENV) in populations. In order to identify RNA-independent host factors involved in DENV replication in mosquitoes, we established a system expressing all non-structural proteins within the context of the macro protein complex as observed during viral infections. Mosquito host factors interacting with 3xFLAGED-tagged DENV non-structural proteins NS1 or NS5 proteins were identified by label-free mass spectrometry.
Project description:Aedes albopictus shows a rapid global expansion and dramatic vectorial capacity for various arboviruses. Mosquitoes display distinct sexual dimorphisms,only adult females consume blood meals to complete ovarian follicle development. Therefore, cyclic reproduction in female mosquitoes serves as a foundation for the transmission of numerous disease-causing pathogens. Aedes have an expansion of the piRNA biogenesis genes, indicated that piRNA may play multiple functional roles in mosquitoes. Although the antiviral function of piRNA pathway in mosquitoes has been extensively studied, the role of piRNAs in mosquito reproduction remain to be further understood. In the present study, we first profiled the characteristics of sex-biased piRNAs in adult Ae.albopictus. Then, we identified a female biased piRNA (Aalpi18529) in adult females, that was highly expressed in ovaries at blood feeding-dependent termination, and depended on PIWI5 and ago3 mediated biogenesis. Aalpi18529 overexpression suppressed ovarian development, and reduced fertility and fecundity in adult females post-bloodmeal. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Aalpi18529 can effectively repress its direct target, growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein 45a (GADD45A), and eventually regulates ovarian development via the Gadd45a-mediated JNK-dependent nurse cell apoptosis pathway. Our study is the first to report an endogenous piRNA, which trigger silencing of an important protein-coding gene by posttranscriptional regulation in mosquitoes, expanding our current understanding of the important and multiple roles of piRNAs in biological processes in Ae. albopictus.