Sequence analysis and developmental expression dynamics of cAMP response element-binding protein in Aedes albopictus

Mosquito-borne diseases remain a major global health challenge, and understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying mosquito physiology and adaptation is essential for developing new vector control strategies. cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) plays a pivotal role in regulating specific gene expression programs governing cell survival, differentiation, plasticity, and the maintenance of physiological homeostasis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the evolutionary and developmental characteristics, as well as sex-specific expression patterns of CREB transcription factors in mosquitoes, especially Aedes albopictus. A combination of bioinformatics and molecular approaches, including multi-species phylogenetic analysis, three-dimensional structure prediction, and developmental expression profiling via RT-qPCR and Western blotting, were used to characterize the evolutionary and expression features of CREB in mosquitoes. As a result, it revealed a divergence of mosquito CREBs into two major clades, CREB-A and CREB-B. These mosquito CREBs contained the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain and/or kinase-inducible domain (KID), showing strong evolutionary conservation across species. Furthermore, dynamic, stage-dependent, and sex-specific transcriptional and protein expression patterns for both CREB-A and CREB-B were found in Aedes albopictus. The findings indicated that mosquito CREB proteins may have experienced evolutionary and functional divergence while retaining conserved KID and bZIP domains in CREB-B and bZIP domain in CREB-A, suggesting possible complementary roles in development and physiology.