Direct and indirect gene repression by the ecdysone cascade during mosquito reproductive cycle

SignificanceHematophagous Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spread devastating viral diseases. Upon blood feeding, a steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), initiates a reproductive program during which thousands of genes are differentially expressed. While 20E-mediated gene activation is well known, repressive action by this hormone remains poorly understood. Using bioinformatics and molecular biological approaches, we have identified the mechanisms of 20E-dependent direct and indirect transcriptional repression by the ecdysone receptor (EcR). While indirect repression involves E74, EcR binds to an ecdysone response element different from those utilized in 20E-mediated gene activation to exert direct repressive action. Moreover, liganded EcR recruits a corepressor Mi2, initiating chromatin compaction. This study advances our understanding of the 20E-EcR repression mechanism and could lead to improved vector control approaches.