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Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response
Published on: January 12, 2017
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Functional Interaction between Apolipophorins and Complement Regulate the Mosquito Immune Response to Systemic
Layla Kamareddine1, Johnny Nakhleh, Mike A Osta
1Department of Biology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Journal of Innate Immunity
|March 8, 2016
Summary
Mosquitoes
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Entomology
Background:
- Thioester-containing protein 1 (TEP1) is crucial for Anopheles gambiae mosquito immunity against Plasmodium.
- Previous studies showed CLIPA2 knockdown enhances TEP1-mediated immunity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify novel regulators of TEP1-mediated immunity in Anopheles gambiae.
- Investigate the role of Apolipophorin-II/I (Apo-II/I) in mosquito systemic infections.
Main Methods:
- Coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to identify CLIPA2 interacting proteins.
- RNA interference (RNAi) to silence target genes (CLIPA2, Apo-II/I).
- Mosquito bioassays with Plasmodium, Beauveria bassiana, and Escherichia coli.
- Quantitative PCR to measure TEP1 gene expression.
- Analysis of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway.
Main Results:
- Apolipophorin-II/I (Apo-II/I) identified as a novel negative regulator of TEP1 immunity.
- Silencing Apo-II/I enhances mosquito resistance to B. bassiana and E. coli infections, dependent on TEP1.
- Apo-II/I silencing, unlike CLIPA2 silencing, upregulates TEP1 expression via the JNK pathway during systemic infections.
Conclusions:
- Apo-II/I plays a significant role in regulating mosquito immune responses during systemic infections.
- This study reveals a novel link between lipid metabolism and immune gene regulation in mosquitoes.
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