scholarly journals microRNA tissue atlas of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Lampe ◽  
Elena A. Levashina
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Mirna Expression ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Life Style ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Malaria Mosquito ◽  
Human Malaria Parasite ◽  
Mosquito Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Blood Meal Digestion

ABSTRACTAnopheles gambiae mosquitoes transmit the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the majority of fatal malaria cases worldwide. The hematophagous life style defines the mosquito reproductive biology and is exploited by P. falciparum for its own sexual reproduction and transmission. The two main phases of the mosquito reproductive cycle, pre-vitellogenic (PV) and post-blood meal (PBM) shape its capacity to transmit malaria. Transition between these phases is tightly coordinated to ensure homeostasis between mosquito tissues and successful reproduction. One layer of control is provided by microRNAs, well known regulators of blood meal digestion and egg development in Aedes mosquitoes. Here, we report a global overview of tissue-specific miRNA expression during the PV and PBM phases and identify miRNAs regulated during PV to PBM transition. The observed coordinated changes in the expression levels of a set of miRNAs in the energy-storing tissues suggest a role in the regulation of blood meal-induced metabolic changes.

scholarly journals Chromatin changes in Anopheles gambiae induced by a Plasmodium falciparum infection

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. Ruiz ◽  
Rakiswendé S. Yerbanga ◽  
Thierry Lefèvre ◽  
Jean B. Ouedraogo ◽  
Victor G. Corces ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Human Malaria Parasite ◽  
Human Malaria

ABSTRACTInfection by the human malaria parasite leads to important changes in mosquito phenotypic traits related to vector competence. However, we still lack a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms and in particular, of the epigenetic basis for these changes. We have examined genome-wide distribution maps of H3K27ac, H3K9ac, H3K9me3 and H3K4me3 by ChIP-seq and the transcriptome by RNA-seq, of midguts from Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes infected with natural isolates of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in Burkina Faso. We report 15,916 regions containing differential histone modification enrichment, of which 8,339 locate at promoters and/or intersect with genes. The functional annotation of these regions allowed us to identify infection responsive genes showing differential enrichment in various histone modifications, such as CLIP pro-teases, anti-microbial peptides encoding genes, and genes related to melanization responses and the complement system. Further, the motif analysis of regions differentially enriched in various histone modifications predicts binding sites that might be involved in the cis-regulation of these regions such as Deaf1, Pangolin and Dorsal transcription factors (TFs). Some of these TFs are known to regulate immunity gene expression in Drosophila and are involved in the Notch and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. The analysis of malaria infection-induced chromatin changes in mosquitoes is important not only to identify regulatory elements and genes underlying mosquito responses to a P. falciparum infection but also for possible applications to the genetic manipulation of mosquitoes and to other mosquito-borne systems.

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