1
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Sarumi OA, Hahn M, Heider D. NeuralBeds: Neural embeddings for efficient DNA data compression and optimized similarity search. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:732-741. [PMID: 38298179 PMCID: PMC10828564 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The availability of high throughput sequencing tools coupled with the declining costs in the production of DNA sequences has led to the generation of enormous amounts of omics data curated in several databases such as NCBI and EMBL. Identification of similar DNA sequences from these databases is one of the fundamental tasks in bioinformatics. It is essential for discovering homologous sequences in organisms, phylogenetic studies of evolutionary relationships among several biological entities, or detection of pathogens. Improving DNA similarity search is of outmost importance because of the increased complexity of the evergrowing repositories of sequences. Therefore, instead of using the conventional approach of comparing raw sequences, e.g., in fasta format, a numerical representation of the sequences can be used to calculate their similarities and optimize the search process. In this study, we analyzed different approaches for numerical embeddings, including Chaos Game Representation, hashing, and neural networks, and compared them with classical approaches such as principal component analysis. It turned out that neural networks generate embeddings that are able to capture the similarity between DNA sequences as a distance measure and outperform the other approaches on DNA similarity search, significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwafemi A. Sarumi
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
- Institute of Computer Science, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Graf-Adolf-Str. 63, Duesseldorf, D-40215, Germany
| | - Maximilian Hahn
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
| | - Dominik Heider
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
- Institute of Computer Science, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Graf-Adolf-Str. 63, Duesseldorf, D-40215, Germany
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2
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Huang M, Kingan S, Shoue D, Nguyen O, Froenicke L, Galvin B, Lambert C, Khan R, Maheshwari C, Weisz D, Maslen G, Davison H, Aiden EL, Korlach J, Dudchenko O, McDowell MA, Richards S. Improved high quality sand fly assemblies enabled by ultra low input long read sequencing. Sci Data 2024; 11:918. [PMID: 39181902 PMCID: PMC11344823 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03628-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. High-quality reference genomes are an important tool for understanding the biology and eco-evolutionary dynamics underpinning disease epidemiology. Previous leishmaniasis vector reference sequences were limited by sequencing technologies available at the time and inadequate for high-resolution genomic inquiry. Here, we present updated reference assemblies of two sand flies, Phlebotomus papatasi and Lutzomyia longipalpis. These chromosome-level assemblies were generated using an ultra-low input library protocol, PacBio HiFi long reads, and Hi-C technology. The new P. papatasi reference has a final assembly span of 351.6 Mb and contig and scaffold N50s of 926 kb and 111.8 Mb, respectively. The new Lu. longipalpis reference has a final assembly span of 147.8 Mb and contig and scaffold N50s of 1.09 Mb and 40.6 Mb, respectively. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologue (BUSCO) assessments indicated 94.5% and 95.6% complete single copy insecta orthologs for P. papatasi and Lu. longipalpis. These improved assemblies will serve as an invaluable resource for future genomic work on phlebotomine sandflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | | | - Douglas Shoue
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Oanh Nguyen
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Cores, UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Lutz Froenicke
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Cores, UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ruqayya Khan
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chirag Maheshwari
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - David Weisz
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Gareth Maslen
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Helen Davison
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | | | - Olga Dudchenko
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Mary Ann McDowell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Stephen Richards
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
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3
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Weng SC, Chen F, Li M, Lee S, Gerry C, Turksoy DC, Akbari OS. Establishing a Male-Positive Genetic Sexing Strain in the Asian Malaria Vector Anopheles stephensi. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.17.603997. [PMID: 39071362 PMCID: PMC11275880 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.17.603997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Genetic biocontrol interventions targeting mosquito-borne diseases require the release of male mosquitoes exclusively, as only females consume blood and transmit human pathogens. This reduces the risk of spreading pathogens while enabling effective population control. Robust sex sorting methods to enable early larval sorting in mosquitoes need to be developed to allow for scalable sex sorting for genetic biocontrol interventions. This study applies the SEPARATOR (Sexing Element Produced by Alternative RNA-splicing of A Transgenic Observable Reporter) system, previously developed for Aedes aegypti, to the Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi. We hypothesized that the intron from the doublesex gene in Anopheles gambiae would function in An. stephensi due to evolutionary conservation. Our results confirm that the splicing module from An. gambiae operates effectively in An. stephensi, demonstrating evolutionary conservation in sex-specific splicing events between these species. This system enables reliable positive male selection from first instar larval to pupal stages. RT-PCR analysis demonstrates that male-specific EGFP expression is dependent on doublesex sex-specific splicing events. The SEPARATOR system's independence from sex-chromosome linkage confers resistance to meiotic recombination and chromosomal rearrangements. This approach may facilitate the mass release of males, and the cross-species portability of SEPARATOR establishes it as a valuable tool for genetic biocontrol interventions across various pest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Che Weng
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Fangying Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ming Li
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sammy Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Connor Gerry
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Dylan Can Turksoy
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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4
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Fang T, Mohseni A, Lonardi S, Ben Mamoun C. Properties and predicted functions of large genes and proteins of apicomplexan parasites. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae032. [PMID: 38584870 PMCID: PMC10993292 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary constraints greatly favor compact genomes that efficiently encode proteins. However, several eukaryotic organisms, including apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum and Babesia duncani, the causative agents of toxoplasmosis, malaria and babesiosis, respectively, encode very large proteins, exceeding 20 times their average protein size. Although these large proteins represent <1% of the total protein pool and are generally expressed at low levels, their persistence throughout evolution raises important questions about their functions and possible evolutionary pressures to maintain them. In this study, we examined the trends in gene and protein size, function and expression patterns within seven apicomplexan pathogens. Our analysis revealed that certain large proteins in apicomplexan parasites harbor domains potentially important for functions such as antigenic variation, erythrocyte invasion and immune evasion. However, these domains are not limited to or strictly conserved within large proteins. While some of these proteins are predicted to engage in conventional metabolic pathways within these parasites, others fulfill specialized functions for pathogen-host interactions, nutrient acquisition and overall survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Fang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520 USA
| | - Amir Mohseni
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521 USA
| | - Stefano Lonardi
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521 USA
| | - Choukri Ben Mamoun
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520 USA
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5
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Weber JJ, Geisbrecht BV, Kanost MR, Gorman MJ. A conserved asparagine residue stabilizes iron binding in Manduca sexta transferrin-1. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 168:104109. [PMID: 38494145 PMCID: PMC11018507 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2024.104109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Transferrin 1 (Tsf1) is an insect-specific iron-binding protein that is abundant in hemolymph and other extracellular fluids. It binds iron tightly at neutral pH and releases iron under acidic conditions. Tsf1 influences the distribution of iron in the body and protects against infection. Elucidating the mechanisms by which Tsf1 achieves these functions will require an understanding of how Tsf1 binds and releases iron. Previously, crystallized Tsf1 from Manduca sexta was shown to have a novel type of iron coordination that involves four iron-binding ligands: two tyrosine residues (Tyr90 and Tyr204), a buried carbonate anion, and a solvent-exposed carbonate anion. The solvent-exposed carbonate anion was bound by a single amino acid residue, a highly conserved asparagine at position 121 (Asn121); thus, we predicted that Asn121 would be essential for high-affinity iron binding. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the iron-binding and -release properties of five forms of recombinant Tsf1: wild-type, a Y90F/Y204F double mutant (negative control), and three Asn121 mutants (N121A, N121D and N121S). Each of the Asn121 mutants exhibited altered spectral properties, confirming that Asn121 contributes to iron coordination. The N121D and N121S mutations resulted in slightly lower affinity for iron, especially at acidic pH, while iron binding and release by the N121A mutant was indistinguishable from that of the wild-type protein. The surprisingly minor consequences of mutating Asn121, despite its high degree of conservation in diverse insect species, suggest that Asn121 may play a role that is essential in vivo but non-essential for high affinity iron binding in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Weber
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
| | - Brian V Geisbrecht
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
| | - Michael R Kanost
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
| | - Maureen J Gorman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
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6
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Hixson B, Huot L, Morejon B, Yang X, Nagy P, Michel K, Buchon N. The transcriptional response in mosquitoes distinguishes between fungi and bacteria but not Gram types. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:353. [PMID: 38594632 PMCID: PMC11003161 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10153-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are prolific vectors of human pathogens, therefore a clear and accurate understanding of the organization of their antimicrobial defenses is crucial for informing the development of transmission control strategies. The canonical infection response in insects, as described in the insect model Drosophila melanogaster, is pathogen type-dependent, with distinct stereotypical responses to Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria/fungi mediated by the activation of the Imd and Toll pathways, respectively. To determine whether this pathogen-specific discrimination is shared by mosquitoes, we used RNAseq to capture the genome-wide transcriptional response of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) to systemic infection with Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi, as well as challenge with heat-killed Gram-negative, Gram-positive, and fungal pathogens. From the resulting data, we found that Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae both mount a core response to all categories of infection, and this response is highly conserved between the two species with respect to both function and orthology. When we compared the transcriptomes of mosquitoes infected with different types of bacteria, we observed that the intensity of the transcriptional response was correlated with both the virulence and growth rate of the infecting pathogen. Exhaustive comparisons of the transcriptomes of Gram-negative-challenged versus Gram-positive-challenged mosquitoes yielded no difference in either species. In Ae. aegypti, however, we identified transcriptional signatures specific to bacterial infection and to fungal infection. The bacterial infection response was dominated by the expression of defensins and cecropins, while the fungal infection response included the disproportionate upregulation of an uncharacterized family of glycine-rich proteins. These signatures were also observed in Ae. aegypti challenged with heat-killed bacteria and fungi, indicating that this species can discriminate between molecular patterns that are specific to bacteria and to fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bretta Hixson
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Louise Huot
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Bianca Morejon
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Current address: State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute for Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Peter Nagy
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Kristin Michel
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Nicolas Buchon
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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Filipović I, Marshall JM, Rašić G. Finding divergent sequences of homomorphic sex chromosomes via diploidized nanopore-based assembly from a single male. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.29.582759. [PMID: 38464271 PMCID: PMC10925256 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.29.582759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although homomorphic sex chromosomes can have non-recombining regions with elevated sequence divergence between its complements, such divergence signals can be difficult to detect bioinformatically. If found in genomes of e.g. insect pests, these sequences could be targeted by the engineered genetic sexing and control systems. Here, we report an approach that can leverage long-read nanopore sequencing of a single XY male to identify divergent regions of homomorphic sex chromosomes. Long-read data are used for de novo genome assembly that is diploidized in a way that maximizes sex-specific differences between its haploid complements. We show that the correct assembly phasing is supported by the mapping of nanopore reads from the male's haploid Y-bearing sperm cells. The approach revealed a highly divergent region (HDR) near the centromere of the homomorphic sex chromosome of Aedes aegypti, the most important arboviral vector, for which there is a great interest in creating new genetic control tools. HDR is located ~5Mb downstream of the known male-determining locus on chromosome 1 and is significantly enriched for ovary-biased genes. While recombination in HDR ceased relatively recently (~1.4 MYA), HDR gametologs have divergent exons and introns of protein coding genes, and most lncRNA genes became X-specific. Megabases of previously invisible sex-linked sequences provide new putative targets for engineering the genetic systems to control this deadly mosquito. Broadly, our approach expands the toolbox for studying cryptic structure of sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Filipović
- Mosquito Genomics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Herston QLD 4006, Australia
- The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - John M Marshall
- Divisions of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gordana Rašić
- Mosquito Genomics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Herston QLD 4006, Australia
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8
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Mohr SE, Kim AR, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Finding information about uncharacterized Drosophila melanogaster genes. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad187. [PMID: 37933691 PMCID: PMC10697813 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genes that have been identified in the genome but remain uncharacterized with regards to function offer an opportunity to uncover novel biological information. Novelty is exciting but can also be a barrier. If nothing is known, how does one start planning and executing experiments? Here, we provide a recommended information-mining workflow and a corresponding guide to accessing information about uncharacterized Drosophila melanogaster genes, such as those assigned only a systematic coding gene identifier. The available information can provide insights into where and when the gene is expressed, what the function of the gene might be, whether there are similar genes in other species, whether there are known relationships to other genes, and whether any other features have already been determined. In addition, available information about relevant reagents can inspire and facilitate experimental studies. Altogether, mining available information can help prioritize genes for further study, as well as provide starting points for experimental assays and other analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ah-Ram Kim
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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9
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Sutanto E, Pava Z, Echeverry DF, Lopera-Mesa TM, Montenegro LM, Yasnot-Acosta MF, Benavente ED, Pearson RD, Herrera S, Arévalo-Herrera M, Trimarsanto H, Rumaseb A, Noviyanti R, Kwiatkowski DP, Price RN, Auburn S. Genomics of Plasmodium vivax in Colombia reveals evidence of local bottle-necking and inter-country connectivity in the Americas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19779. [PMID: 37957271 PMCID: PMC10643449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Colombia aims to eliminate malaria by 2030 but remains one of the highest burden countries in the Americas. Plasmodium vivax contributes half of all malaria cases, with its control challenged by relapsing parasitaemia, drug resistance and cross-border spread. Using 64 Colombian P. vivax genomes collected between 2013 and 2017, we explored diversity and selection in two major foci of transmission: Chocó and Córdoba. Open-access data from other countries were used for comparative assessment of drug resistance candidates and to assess cross-border spread. Across Colombia, polyclonal infections were infrequent (12%), and infection connectivity was relatively high (median IBD = 5%), consistent with low endemicity. Chocó exhibited a higher frequency of polyclonal infections (23%) than Córdoba (7%), although the difference was not significant (P = 0.300). Most Colombian infections carried double pvdhfr (95%) and single pvdhps (71%) mutants, but other drug resistance mutations were less prevalent (< 10%). There was no evidence of selection at the pvaat1 gene, whose P. falciparum orthologue has recently been implicated in chloroquine resistance. Global population comparisons identified other putative adaptations. Within the Americas, low-level connectivity was observed between Colombia and Peru, highlighting potential for cross-border spread. Our findings demonstrate the potential of molecular data to inform on infection spread and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zuleima Pava
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Diego F Echeverry
- Departamento de Microbiología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- International Training and Medical Research Center (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | - Maria F Yasnot-Acosta
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas y Biomédicas de Córdoba (GIMBIC), Universidad de Córdoba, Monteria, Colombia
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Vacunas, Cali, Colombia
| | - Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Angela Rumaseb
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Ric N Price
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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10
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Nsango SN, Agbor JP, Ayala D, Johnson HF, Heaton H, Wagah MG, Collins JC, Krasheninnikova K, Pelan SE, Pointon DLB, Sims Y, Torrance JW, Tracey A, Uliano Da Silva M, Wood JMD, von Wyschetzki K, McCarthy SA, Neafsey DE, Makunin A, Lawniczak M. A chromosomal reference genome sequence for the malaria mosquito, Anopheles moucheti, Evans, 1925. Wellcome Open Res 2023; 8:507. [PMID: 38046191 PMCID: PMC10690039 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.20259.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a genome assembly from an individual male Anopheles moucheti (the malaria mosquito; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Culicidae), from a wild population in Cameroon. The genome sequence is 271 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly is scaffolded into three chromosomal pseudomolecules with the X sex chromosome assembled. The complete mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 15.5 kilobases in length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine N. Nsango
- Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Universite de Douala, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
| | - Jean-Pierre Agbor
- Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Universite de Douala, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
| | - Diego Ayala
- MIVEGEC, IRD, Montpellier, France
- ESV-GAB, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
| | | | | | - Martin G. Wagah
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
| | | | | | - Sarah E. Pelan
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
| | | | - Ying Sims
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
| | | | - Alan Tracey
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
| | | | | | | | - DNA Pipelines collective
- Faculte de Medecine et des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Universite de Douala, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
- MIVEGEC, IRD, Montpellier, France
- ESV-GAB, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville, Gabon
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
- CSSE, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Shane A. McCarthy
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Daniel E. Neafsey
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alex Makunin
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
| | - Mara Lawniczak
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, England, UK
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Guizzo MG, Mans B, Pienaar R, Ribeiro JMC. A comparison of Illumina and PacBio methods to build tick salivary gland transcriptomes confirms large expression of lipocalins and other salivary protein families that are not represented in available tick genomes. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102209. [PMID: 37327738 PMCID: PMC10527494 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tick saliva helps blood feeding by its antihemostatic and immunomodulatory activities. Tick salivary gland transcriptomes (sialotranscriptomes) revealed thousands of transcripts coding for putative secreted polypeptides. Hundreds of these transcripts code for groups of similar proteins, constituting protein families, such as the lipocalins and metalloproteases. However, while many of these transcriptome-derived protein sequences matches sequences predicted by tick genome assemblies, the majority are not represented in these proteomes. The diversity of these transcriptome-derived transcripts could derive from artifacts generated during assembly of short Illumina reads or derive from polymorphisms of the genes coding for these proteins. To investigate this discrepancy, we collected salivary glands from blood-feeding ticks and, from the same homogenate, made and sequenced libraries following Illumina and PacBio protocols, with the assumption that the longer PacBio reads would reveal the sequences generated by the assembly of Illumina reads. Using both Rhipicephalus zambeziensis and Ixodes scapularis ticks, we have obtained more lipocalin transcripts from the Illumina library than the PacBio library. To verify whether these unique Illumina transcripts were real, we selected 9 uniquely Illumina-derived lipocalin transcripts from I. scapularis and attempted to obtain PCR products. These were obtained and their sequences confirmed the presence of these transcripts in the I. scapularis salivary homogenate. We further compared the predicted salivary lipocalins and metalloproteases from I. scapularis sialotranscriptomes with those found in the predicted proteomes of 3 publicly available genomes of I. scapularis. Results indicate that the discrepancy between the genome and transcriptome sequences for these salivary protein families is due to a high degree of polymorphism within these genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melina Garcia Guizzo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA
| | - Ben Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa; The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ronel Pienaar
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Jose M C Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA.
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Pichler V, Sanou A, Love RR, Caputo B, Pombi M, Toe KH, Guelbeogo MW, Sagnon N, Ferguson HM, Ranson H, Torre AD, Besansky NJ. A novel tetra-primer ARMS-PCR approach for the molecular karyotyping of chromosomal inversion 2Ru in the main malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:388. [PMID: 37891582 PMCID: PMC10605393 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06014-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chromosomal inversion polymorphisms have been associated with adaptive behavioral, physiological, morphological and life history traits in the two main Afrotropical malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae. The understanding of the adaptive value of chromosomal inversion systems is constrained by the feasibility of cytological karyotyping. In recent years in silico and molecular approaches have been developed for the genotyping of most widespread inversions (2La, 2Rb and 2Rc). The 2Ru inversion, spanning roughly 8% of chromosome 2R, is commonly polymorphic in West African populations of An. coluzzii and An. gambiae and shows clear increases in frequency with increasing rainfall seasonally and geographically. The aim of this work was to overcome the constraints of currently available cytological and high-throughput molecular assays by developing a simple PCR assay for genotyping the 2Ru inversion in individual specimens of both mosquito species. METHODS We designed tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR assays based on five tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously shown to be strongly correlated with 2Ru inversion orientation. The most promising assay was validated against laboratory and field samples of An. coluzzii and An. gambiae karyotyped either cytogenetically or molecularly using a genotyping-in-thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) high-throughput approach that employs targeted sequencing of multiplexed PCR amplicons. RESULTS A successful assay was designed based on the tag SNP at position 2R, 31710303, which is highly predictive of the 2Ru genotype. The assay, which requires only one PCR, and no additional post-PCR processing other than electrophoresis, produced a clear banding pattern for 98.5% of the 454 specimens tested, which is a 96.7% agreement with established karyotyping methods. Sequences were obtained for nine of the An. coluzzii specimens manifesting 2Ru genotype discrepancies with GT-seq. Possible sources of these discordances are discussed. CONCLUSIONS The tetra-primer ARMS-PCR assay represents an accurate, streamlined and cost-effective method for the molecular karyotyping of the 2Ru inversion in An. coluzzii and An. gambiae. Together with approaches already available for the other common polymorphic inversions, 2La, 2Rb and 2Rc, this assay will allow investigations of the adaptive value of the complex set of inversion systems observed in the two major malaria vectors in the Afrotropical region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Pichler
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Università "La Sapienza", 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Antoine Sanou
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation Sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, Glasgow University, Glasgow, G128QQ, UK
| | - R Rebecca Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
- Entomology Branch, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Beniamino Caputo
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Università "La Sapienza", 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pombi
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Università "La Sapienza", 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Kobie Hyacinth Toe
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation Sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Moussa W Guelbeogo
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation Sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - N'Fale Sagnon
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation Sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Heather M Ferguson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, Glasgow University, Glasgow, G128QQ, UK
| | - Hilary Ranson
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Alessandra Della Torre
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Università "La Sapienza", 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Nora J Besansky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
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13
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Conn JE, Bickersmith SA, Saavedra MP, Morales JA, Alava F, Diaz Rodriguez GA, del Aguila Morante CR, Tong CG, Alvarez-Antonio C, Daza Huanahui JM, Vinetz JM, Gamboa D. Natural Infection of Nyssorhynchus darlingi and Nyssorhynchus benarrochi B with Plasmodium during the Dry Season in the Understudied Low-Transmission Setting of Datem del Marañon Province, Amazonian Peru. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:288-295. [PMID: 37364858 PMCID: PMC10397451 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The persistence of malaria hotspots in Datem del Marañon Province, Peru, prompted vector control units at the Ministry of Health, Loreto Department, to collaborate with the Amazonian International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research to identify the main vectors in several riverine villages that had annual parasite indices > 15 in 2018-2019. Anophelinae were collected indoors and outdoors for two 12-hour nights/community during the dry season in 2019 using human landing catch. We identified four species: Nyssorhynchus benarrochi B, Nyssorhynchus darlingi, Nyssorhynchus triannulatus, and Anopheles mattogrossensis. The most abundant, Ny. benarrochi B, accounted for 96.3% of the total (7,550/7,844), of which 61.5% were captured outdoors (4,641/7,550). Six mosquitoes, one Ny. benarrochi B and five Ny. darlingi, were infected by Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax. Human biting rates ranged from 0.5 to 592.8 bites per person per hour for Ny. benarrochi B and from 0.5 to 32.0 for Ny. darlingi, with entomological inoculation rates as high as 0.50 infective bites per night for Ny. darlingi and 0.25 for Ny. benarrochi B. These data demonstrate the risk of malaria transmission by both species even during the dry season in villages in multiple watersheds in Datem del Marañon province.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan E. Conn
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York-Albany, Albany, New York
| | | | - Marlon P. Saavedra
- Amazonian International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Juliana A. Morales
- Amazonian International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | | | - Carlos G. Tong
- Laboratorio de Salud Pública-Gerencia Regional de Salud de Loreto, GERESA, Iquitos, Peru
| | | | - Jesus M. Daza Huanahui
- Red de Salud Datem del Marañon – Gerencia Regional de Salud de Loreto, GERESA, Iquitos, Peru
| | - Joseph M. Vinetz
- Amazonian International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Amazonian International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
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14
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Bowler-Barnett EH, Fan J, Luo J, Magrane M, Martin MJ, Orchard S. UniProt and Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics-A 2-Way Working Relationship. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100591. [PMID: 37301379 PMCID: PMC10404557 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The human proteome comprises of all of the proteins produced by the sequences translated from the human genome with additional modifications in both sequence and function caused by nonsynonymous variants and posttranslational modifications including cleavage of the initial transcript into smaller peptides and polypeptides. The UniProtKB database (www.uniprot.org) is the world's leading high-quality, comprehensive and freely accessible resource of protein sequence and functional information and presents a summary of experimentally verified, or computationally predicted, functional information added by our expert biocuration team for each protein in the proteome. Researchers in the field of mass spectrometry-based proteomics both consume and add to the body of data available in UniProtKB, and this review highlights the information we provide to this community and the knowledge we in turn obtain from groups via deposition of large-scale datasets in public domain databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- E H Bowler-Barnett
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - J Fan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - J Luo
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - M Magrane
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - M J Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - S Orchard
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom.
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15
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Hixson B, Huot L, Morejon B, Yang X, Nagy P, Michel K, Buchon N. The transcriptional response in mosquitoes distinguishes between fungi and bacteria but not Gram types. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.26.550663. [PMID: 37546902 PMCID: PMC10402080 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.26.550663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are prolific vectors of human pathogens; a clear and accurate understanding of the organization of their antimicrobial defenses is crucial for informing the development of transmission control strategies. The canonical infection response in insects, as described in the insect model Drosophila melanogaster , is pathogen type-dependent, with distinct stereotypical responses to Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria/fungi mediated by the activation of the Imd and Toll pathways, respectively. To determine whether this pathogen-specific discrimination is shared by mosquitoes, we used RNAseq to capture the genome-wide transcriptional response of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae ( s.l. ) to systemic infection with Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi, as well as challenge with heat-killed Gram-negative, Gram-positive, and fungal pathogens. From the resulting data, we found that Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae both mount a core response to all categories of infection, and this response is highly conserved between the two species with respect to both function and orthology. When we compared the transcriptomes of mosquitoes infected with different types of bacteria, we observed that the intensity of the transcriptional response was correlated with both the virulence and growth rate of the infecting pathogen. Exhaustive comparisons of the transcriptomes of Gram-negative-challenged versus Gram-positive-challenged mosquitoes yielded no difference in either species. In Ae. aegypti , however, we identified transcriptional signatures specific to bacterial infection and to fungal infection. The bacterial infection response was dominated by the expression of defensins and cecropins, while the fungal infection response included the disproportionate upregulation of an uncharacterized family of glycine-rich proteins. These signatures were also observed in Ae. aegypti challenged with heat-killed bacteria and fungi, indicating that this species can discriminate between molecular patterns that are specific to bacteria and to fungi.
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16
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Meireles ACA, Rios FGF, Feitoza LHM, da Silva LR, Julião GR. Nondestructive Methods of Pathogen Detection: Importance of Mosquito Integrity in Studies of Disease Transmission and Control. Pathogens 2023; 12:816. [PMID: 37375506 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors of many pathogens, including viruses, protozoans, and helminths, spreading these pathogens to humans as well as to wild and domestic animals. As the identification of species and the biological characterization of mosquito vectors are cornerstones for understanding patterns of disease transmission, and the design of control strategies, we conducted a literature review on the current use of noninvasive and nondestructive techniques for pathogen detection in mosquitoes, highlighting the importance of their taxonomic status and systematics, and some gaps in the knowledge of their vectorial capacity. Here, we summarized the alternative techniques for pathogen detection in mosquitoes based on both laboratory and field studies. Parasite infection and dissemination by mosquitoes can also be obtained via analyses of saliva- and excreta-based techniques or of the whole mosquito body, using a near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) approach. Further research should be encouraged to seek strategies for detecting target pathogens while preserving mosquito morphology, especially in biodiversity hotspot regions, thus enabling the discovery of cryptic or new species, and the determination of more accurate taxonomic, parasitological, and epidemiological patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Caroline Alves Meireles
- Laboratory of Entomology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity and Health, PhD in Sciences-Fiocruz Rondônia/Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
| | - Flávia Geovana Fontineles Rios
- Laboratory of Entomology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Experimental Biology-PGBIOEXP, Fiocruz Rondônia-UNIR, BR-364, Km 9.5, Porto Velho 78900-550, RO, Brazil
| | - Luiz Henrique Maciel Feitoza
- Laboratory of Entomology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Experimental Biology-PGBIOEXP, Fiocruz Rondônia-UNIR, BR-364, Km 9.5, Porto Velho 78900-550, RO, Brazil
| | - Lucas Rosendo da Silva
- Laboratory of Entomology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Experimental Biology-PGBIOEXP, Fiocruz Rondônia-UNIR, BR-364, Km 9.5, Porto Velho 78900-550, RO, Brazil
| | - Genimar Rebouças Julião
- Laboratory of Entomology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz Rondônia, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Experimental Biology-PGBIOEXP, Fiocruz Rondônia-UNIR, BR-364, Km 9.5, Porto Velho 78900-550, RO, Brazil
- National Institute of Epidemiology of Western Amazônia-INCT-EpiAmO, Rua da Beira 7671, Lagoa, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
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17
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Love RR, Sikder JR, Vivero RJ, Matute DR, Schrider DR. Strong Positive Selection in Aedes aegypti and the Rapid Evolution of Insecticide Resistance. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad072. [PMID: 36971242 PMCID: PMC10118305 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti vectors the pathogens that cause dengue, yellow fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya and is a serious threat to public health in tropical regions. Decades of work has illuminated many aspects of Ae. aegypti's biology and global population structure and has identified insecticide resistance genes; however, the size and repetitive nature of the Ae. aegypti genome have limited our ability to detect positive selection in this mosquito. Combining new whole genome sequences from Colombia with publicly available data from Africa and the Americas, we identify multiple strong candidate selective sweeps in Ae. aegypti, many of which overlap genes linked to or implicated in insecticide resistance. We examine the voltage-gated sodium channel gene in three American cohorts and find evidence for successive selective sweeps in Colombia. The most recent sweep encompasses an intermediate-frequency haplotype containing four candidate insecticide resistance mutations that are in near-perfect linkage disequilibrium with one another in the Colombian sample. We hypothesize that this haplotype may continue to rapidly increase in frequency and perhaps spread geographically in the coming years. These results extend our knowledge of how insecticide resistance has evolved in this species and add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Ae. aegypti has an extensive genomic capacity to rapidly adapt to insecticide-based vector control.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Rebecca Love
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NCUSA
| | - Josh R Sikder
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NCUSA
| | - Rafael J Vivero
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, PECET, Universidad de Antioquia, Chapel Hill, NCColombia
| | - Daniel R Matute
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel R Schrider
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NCUSA
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18
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Climate, landscape, and life history jointly predict multidecadal community mosquito phenology. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3866. [PMID: 36890171 PMCID: PMC9995322 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30751-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenology of adult host-seeking female mosquitoes is a critical component for understanding potential for vector-borne pathogen maintenance and amplification in the natural environment. Despite this importance, long-term multi-species investigations of mosquito phenologies across environments and differing species' life history traits are rare. Here we leverage long-term mosquito control district monitoring data to characterize annual phenologies of 7 host-seeking female mosquito species over a 20-year time period in suburban Illinois, USA. We also assembled data on landscape context, categorized into low and medium development, climate variables including precipitation, temperature and humidity, and key life history traits, i.e. overwintering stage and Spring-Summer versus Summer-mid-Fallseason fliers. We then fit linear mixed models separately for adult onset, peak abundances, and flight termination with landscape, climate and trait variables as predictors with species as a random effect. Model results supported some expectations, including warmer spring temperatures leading to earlier onset, warmer temperatures and lower humidity leading to earlier peak abundances, and warmer and wetter fall conditions leading to later termination. However, we also found sometimes complex interactions and responses contrary to our predictions. For example, temperature had generally weak support on its own, impacting onset and peak abundance timing; rather temperature has interacting effects with humidity or precipitation. We also found higher spring precipitation, especially in low development contexts, generally delayed adult onset, counter to expectations. These results emphasize the need to consider how traits, landscape and climatic factors all interact to determine mosquito phenology, when planning management strategies for vector control and public health protection.
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19
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Lippi CA, Rund SSC, Ryan SJ. Characterizing the Vector Data Ecosystem. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:247-254. [PMID: 36752771 PMCID: PMC9989832 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of information on vector-borne diseases has arisen as increasing research focus has been directed towards the need for anticipating risk, optimizing surveillance, and understanding the fundamental biology of vector-borne diseases to direct control and mitigation efforts. The scope and scale of this information, in the form of data, comprising database efforts, data storage, and serving approaches, means that it is distributed across many formats and data types. Data ranges from collections records to molecular characterization, geospatial data to interactions of vectors and traits, infection experiments to field trials. New initiatives arise, often spanning the effort traditionally siloed in specific research disciplines, and other efforts wane, perhaps in response to funding declines, different research directions, or lack of sustained interest. Thusly, the world of vector data - the Vector Data Ecosystem - can become unclear in scope, and the flows of data through these various efforts can become stymied by obsolescence, or simply by gaps in access and interoperability. As increasing attention is paid to creating FAIR (Findable Accessible Interoperable, and Reusable) data, simply characterizing what is 'out there', and how these existing data aggregation and collection efforts interact, or interoperate with each other, is a useful exercise. This study presents a snapshot of current vector data efforts, reporting on level of accessibility, and commenting on interoperability using an illustration to track a specimen through the data ecosystem to understand where it occurs for the database efforts anticipated to describe it (or parts of its extended specimen data).
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A Lippi
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab Group, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Samuel S C Rund
- Center for Research Computing, Department of Biological Sciences, & Eck Institute for Global HealthUniversity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
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20
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Shanmugasundram A, Starns D, Böhme U, Amos B, Wilkinson PA, Harb OS, Warrenfeltz S, Kissinger JC, McDowell MA, Roos DS, Crouch K, Jones AR. TriTrypDB: An integrated functional genomics resource for kinetoplastida. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011058. [PMID: 36656904 PMCID: PMC9888696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitic diseases caused by kinetoplastid parasites are a burden to public health throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. TriTrypDB (https://tritrypdb.org) is a free online resource for data mining of genomic and functional data from these kinetoplastid parasites and is part of the VEuPathDB Bioinformatics Resource Center (https://veupathdb.org). As of release 59, TriTrypDB hosts 83 kinetoplastid genomes, nine of which, including Trypanosoma brucei brucei TREU927, Trypanosoma cruzi CL Brener and Leishmania major Friedlin, undergo manual curation by integrating information from scientific publications, high-throughput assays and user submitted comments. TriTrypDB also integrates transcriptomic, proteomic, epigenomic, population-level and isolate data, functional information from genome-wide RNAi knock-down and fluorescent tagging, and results from automated bioinformatics analysis pipelines. TriTrypDB offers a user-friendly web interface embedded with a genome browser, search strategy system and bioinformatics tools to support custom in silico experiments that leverage integrated data. A Galaxy workspace enables users to analyze their private data (e.g., RNA-sequencing, variant calling, etc.) and explore their results privately in the context of publicly available information in the database. The recent addition of an annotation platform based on Apollo enables users to provide both functional and structural changes that will appear as 'community annotations' immediately and, pending curatorial review, will be integrated into the official genome annotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achchuthan Shanmugasundram
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - David Starns
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrike Böhme
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Amos
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. Wilkinson
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Omar S. Harb
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Susanne Warrenfeltz
- Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases, Department of Genetics, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jessica C. Kissinger
- Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases, Department of Genetics, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Mary Ann McDowell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - David S. Roos
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kathryn Crouch
- School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R. Jones
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Integrative, Systems and Molecular Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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21
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Sneed SD, Dwivedi SB, DiGate C, Denecke S, Povelones M. Aedes aegypti Malpighian tubules are immunologically activated following systemic Toll activation. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:469. [PMID: 36522779 PMCID: PMC9753289 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05567-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canine heartworm is a widespread and potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease caused by infections with the parasitic nematode, Dirofilaria immitis. We have previously shown that systemic activation of the Toll immune pathway via silencing of the negative regulator Cactus in Aedes aegypti blocks parasite development in the Malpighian tubules (MT), the mosquito renal organ. However, it was not established whether the MT were directly responding to Toll activation or were alternatively responding to upregulated proteins or other changes to the hemolymph driven by other tissues. Distinguishing these possibilities is crucial for developing more precise strategies to block D. immitis while potentially avoiding the fitness cost to the mosquito associated with Cactus silencing. METHODS This study defines the transcriptional response of the MT and changes to the hemolymph proteome of Ae. aegypti after systemic Toll activation via intra-thoracic injection of double-stranded Cactus (dsCactus) RNA. RESULTS Malpighian tubules significantly increased expression of the Toll pathway target genes that significantly overlapped expression changes occurring in whole mosquitoes. A significant overlap between the transcriptional response of the MT and proteins upregulated in the hemolymph was also observed. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that MT are capable of RNA interference-mediated gene silencing and directly respond to dsCactus treatment by upregulating targets of the canonical Toll pathway. Although not definitive, the strong correspondence between the MT transcriptional response and the hemolymph proteomic responses provides evidence that the MT may contribute to mosquito humoral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah D. Sneed
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Sutopa B. Dwivedi
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Cameron DiGate
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Shane Denecke
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Michael Povelones
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
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22
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Kuznetsov D, Tegenfeldt F, Manni M, Seppey M, Berkeley M, Kriventseva E, Zdobnov EM. OrthoDB v11: annotation of orthologs in the widest sampling of organismal diversity. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D445-D451. [PMID: 36350662 PMCID: PMC9825584 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OrthoDB provides evolutionary and functional annotations of genes in a diverse sampling of eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and viruses. Genomics continues to accelerate our exploration of gene diversity and orthology is the most precise way of bridging gene functional knowledge with the rapidly expanding universe of genomic sequences. OrthoDB samples the most diverse organisms with the best quality genomics data to provide the leading coverage of species diversity. This update of the underlying data to over 18 000 prokaryotes and almost 2000 eukaryotes with over 100 million genes propels the coverage to another level. This achievement also demonstrates the scalability of the underlying OrthoLoger software for delineation of orthologs, freely available from https://orthologer.ezlab.org. In addition to the ab-initio computations of gene orthology used for the OrthoDB release, the OrthoLoger software allows mapping of novel gene sets to precomputed orthologs and thereby links to their annotations. The LEMMI-style benchmarking of OrthoLoger ensures its state-of-the-art performance and is available from https://lemortho.ezlab.org. The OrthoDB web interface has been further developed to include a pairwise orthology view from any gene to any other sampled species. OrthoDB-computed evolutionary annotations as well as extensively collated functional annotations can be accessed via REST API or SPARQL/RDF, downloaded or browsed online from https://www.orthodb.org.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mosè Manni
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Seppey
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Matthew Berkeley
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Evgeny M Zdobnov
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +41 22 379 59 73;
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23
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Hickner PV, Mori A, Rund SSC, Severson DW. Quantitative Trait Locus Determining the Time of Blood Feeding in Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:1500-1506. [PMID: 35976948 PMCID: PMC9473656 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes and other blood feeding arthropods are vectors of pathogens causing serious human diseases, such as Plasmodium spp. (malaria), Wuchereria bancrofti (lymphatic filariasis), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), and viruses causing dengue, Zika, West Nile, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Among the most effective strategies for the prevention of vector-borne diseases are those aimed at reducing human-vector interactions, such as insecticide applications and insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). In some areas where ITNs are widely used, behavioral adaptations have resulted in mosquitoes shifting their time of blood feeding to earlier or later in the night when the bed nets are not being employed. Little is known about the genetic basis of these behavioral shifts. We conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using two strains of Culex pipiens sensu lato with contrasting blood feeding behaviors, wherein the lab adapted Shasta strain blood feeds at any time of the day or night, while the newly established Trinidad strain feeds only at night. We identified a single locus on chromosome 2 associated with the observed variation in feeding times. None of the core clock genes period, timeless, clock, cycle, PAR-domain protein 1, vrille, discs overgrown, cryptochrome 1, or cryptochrome 2 were located within the QTL region. We then monitored locomotor behavior to determine if they differed in their flight activity. The highly nocturnal Trinidad strain showed little daytime activity while the day-feeding Shasta strain was active during the day, suggesting blood feeding behavior and flight activity are physiologically linked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul V Hickner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- USDA-ARS, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, Kerrville, TX 78028, USA
| | - Akio Mori
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Samuel S C Rund
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Center for Research Computing, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - David W Severson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine, Trinidad, West Indies
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend, IN, USA
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24
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Xu YYJ, Loh YM, Lee TT, Ohashi TS, Su MP, Kamikouchi A. Serotonin modulation in the male Aedes aegypti ear influences hearing. Front Physiol 2022; 13:931567. [PMID: 36105279 PMCID: PMC9465180 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.931567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Male Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) mosquitoes rely on hearing to identify conspecific females for mating, with the male attraction to the sound of flying females (“phonotaxis”) an important behavior in the initial courtship stage. Hearing thus represents a promising target for novel methods of mosquito control, and hearing behaviors (such as male phonotaxis) can be targeted via the use of sound traps. These traps unfortunately have proven to be relatively ineffective during field deployment. Shifting the target from hearing behavior to hearing function could therefore offer a novel method of interfering with Ae. aegypti mating. Numerous neurotransmitters, including serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) and octopamine, are expressed in the male ear, with modulation of the latter proven to influence the mechanical responses of the ear to sound. The effect of serotonin modulation however remains underexplored despite its significant role in determining many key behaviors and biological processes of animals. Here we investigated the influence of serotonin on the Ae. aegypti hearing function and behaviors. Using immunohistochemistry, we found significant expression of serotonin in the male and female Ae. aegypti ears. In the male ear, presynaptic sites identified via antibody labelling showed only partial overlap with serotonin. Next, we used RT-qPCR to identify and quantify the expression levels of three different serotonin receptor families (5-HT1, 5-HT2, and 5-HT7) in the mosquito heads and ears. Although all receptors were identified in the ears of both sexes, those from the 5-HT7 family were significantly more expressed in the ears relative to the heads. We then thoracically injected serotonin-related compounds into the mosquitoes and found a significant, reversible effect of serotonin exposure on the male ear mechanical tuning frequency. Finally, oral administration of a serotonin-synthesis inhibitor altered male phonotaxis. The mosquito serotonergic system and its receptors thus represent interesting targets for novel methods of mosquito, and thus disease, control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Y. J. Xu
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - YuMin M. Loh
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tai-Ting Lee
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | - Matthew P. Su
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- *Correspondence: Matthew P. Su, ; Azusa Kamikouchi,
| | - Azusa Kamikouchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- *Correspondence: Matthew P. Su, ; Azusa Kamikouchi,
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25
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Finney M, Romanowski J, Adelman ZN. Strategies to improve homology-based repair outcomes following CRISPR-based gene editing in mosquitoes: lessons in how to keep any repair disruptions local. Virol J 2022; 19:128. [PMID: 35908059 PMCID: PMC9338592 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01859-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmable gene editing systems such as CRISPR-Cas have made mosquito genome engineering more practical and accessible, catalyzing the development of cutting-edge genetic methods of disease vector control. This progress, however, has been limited by the low efficiency of homology-directed repair (HDR)-based sequence integration at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and a lack of understanding about DSB repair in mosquitoes. Innovative efforts to optimize HDR sequence integration by inhibiting non-homologous end joining or promoting HDR have been performed in mammalian systems, however many of these approaches have not been applied to mosquitoes. Here, we review some of the most relevant steps of DNA DSB repair choice and highlight promising approaches that influence this choice to enhance HDR in the context of mosquito gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaela Finney
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 329A Minnie Belle Heep Center, 370 Olsen Blvd, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Joseph Romanowski
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 329A Minnie Belle Heep Center, 370 Olsen Blvd, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Zach N Adelman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 329A Minnie Belle Heep Center, 370 Olsen Blvd, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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26
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Miller D, Chen J, Liang J, Betrán E, Long M, Sharakhov IV. Retrogene Duplication and Expression Patterns Shaped by the Evolution of Sex Chromosomes in Malaria Mosquitoes. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13060968. [PMID: 35741730 PMCID: PMC9222922 DOI: 10.3390/genes13060968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes that originate during evolution are an important source of novel biological functions. Retrogenes are functional copies of genes produced by retroduplication and as such are located in different genomic positions. To investigate retroposition patterns and retrogene expression, we computationally identified interchromosomal retroduplication events in nine portions of the phylogenetic history of malaria mosquitoes, making use of species that do or do not have classical sex chromosomes to test the roles of sex-linkage. We found 40 interchromosomal events and a significant excess of retroduplications from the X chromosome to autosomes among a set of young retrogenes. These young retroposition events occurred within the last 100 million years in lineages where all species possessed differentiated sex chromosomes. An analysis of available microarray and RNA-seq expression data for Anopheles gambiae showed that many of the young retrogenes evolved male-biased expression in the reproductive organs. Young autosomal retrogenes with increased meiotic or postmeiotic expression in the testes tend to be male biased. In contrast, older retrogenes, i.e., in lineages with undifferentiated sex chromosomes, do not show this particular chromosomal bias and are enriched for female-biased expression in reproductive organs. Our reverse-transcription PCR data indicates that most of the youngest retrogenes, which originated within the last 47.6 million years in the subgenus Cellia, evolved non-uniform expression patterns across body parts in the males and females of An. coluzzii. Finally, gene annotation revealed that mitochondrial function is a prominent feature of the young autosomal retrogenes. We conclude that mRNA-mediated gene duplication has produced a set of genes that contribute to mosquito reproductive functions and that different biases are revealed after the sex chromosomes evolve. Overall, these results suggest potential roles for the evolution of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in males and of sexually antagonistic conflict related to mitochondrial energy function as the main selective pressures for X-to-autosome gene reduplication and testis-biased expression in these mosquito lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan Miller
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.M.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianhai Chen
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;
| | - Jiangtao Liang
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.M.); (J.L.)
| | - Esther Betrán
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA;
| | - Manyuan Long
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (I.V.S.)
| | - Igor V. Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.M.); (J.L.)
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (I.V.S.)
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27
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Hixson B, Bing XL, Yang X, Bonfini A, Nagy P, Buchon N. A transcriptomic atlas of Aedes aegypti reveals detailed functional organization of major body parts and gut regional specializations in sugar-fed and blood-fed adult females. eLife 2022; 11:76132. [PMID: 35471187 PMCID: PMC9113746 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes transmit numerous pathogens, but large gaps remain in our understanding of their physiology. To facilitate explorations of mosquito biology, we have created Aegypti-Atlas (http://aegyptiatlas.buchonlab.com/), an online resource hosting RNAseq profiles of Ae. aegypti body parts (head, thorax, abdomen, gut, Malpighian tubules, ovaries), gut regions (crop, proventriculus, anterior and posterior midgut, hindgut), and a gut time course of blood meal digestion. Using Aegypti-Atlas, we provide insights into regionalization of gut function, blood feeding response, and immune defenses. We find that the anterior and posterior midgut possess digestive specializations which are preserved in the blood-fed state. Blood feeding initiates the sequential induction and repression/depletion of multiple cohorts of peptidases. With respect to defense, immune signaling components, but not recognition or effector molecules, show enrichment in ovaries. Basal expression of antimicrobial peptides is dominated by holotricin and gambicin, which are expressed in carcass and digestive tissues, respectively, in a mutually exclusive manner. In the midgut, gambicin and other effectors are almost exclusively expressed in the anterior regions, while the posterior midgut exhibits hallmarks of immune tolerance. Finally, in a cross-species comparison between Ae. aegypti and Anopheles gambiae midguts, we observe that regional digestive and immune specializations are conserved, indicating that our dataset may be broadly relevant to multiple mosquito species. We demonstrate that the expression of orthologous genes is highly correlated, with the exception of a ‘species signature’ comprising a few highly/disparately expressed genes. With this work, we show the potential of Aegypti-Atlas to unlock a more complete understanding of mosquito biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bretta Hixson
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Xiao-Li Bing
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | | | - Peter Nagy
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Nicolas Buchon
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
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