No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Candidate biomarkers for mosquito age-grading identified by label-free quantitative analysis of protein expression in Aedes albopictus females
... Mosquito longevity is another critical factor that affects mosquito-borne pathogen-transmission cycles and vectorial capacity (Iovinella et al. 2015). Recently, two studies that used quantitative proteomics evaluated the relative abundance of the mosquito proteins during aging. ...
... They reported four proteins, ADF (actin depolymerizing factor); eIF5A (eukaryotic initiation factor 5A); Q17LN8 (insect cuticle protein [ICP]), and AFP (anterior fat body protein) as potential aging markers. In the second study, samples from Ae. albopictus eggs at different development stages from fieldcollected organisms were evaluated via proteomics methods with label-free LC/MS/MS (Iovinella et al. 2015). The authors identified and quantified 1000 proteins and proposed seven mosquito proteins as possible markers for age-grading for field populations. ...
Aedes-borne viruses are responsible for high-impact neglected tropical diseases and unpredictable outbreaks such as the ongoing Zika epidemics. Aedes mosquitoes spread different arboviruses such as Dengue virus (DENV), Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Zika virus, among others, and are responsible for the continuous emergence and reemergence of these pathogens. These viruses have complex transmission cycles that include two hosts, namely the Aedes mosquito as a vector and susceptible vertebrate hosts. Human infection with arboviruses causes diseases that range from subclinical or mild to febrile diseases, encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fever. Infected mosquitoes do not show detectable signs of disease, even though the virus maintains a lifelong persistent infection. The infection of the Aedes mosquito by viruses involves a molecular crosstalk between cell and viral proteins. An understanding of how mosquito vectors and viruses interact is of fundamental interest, and it also offers novel perspectives for disease control. In recent years, mass spectrometry (MS)-based strategies in combination with bioinformatics have been successfully applied to identify and quantify global changes in cellular proteins, lipids, peptides, and metabolites in response to viral infection. Although the information about proteomics in the Aedes mosquito is limited, the information that has been reported can set up the basis for future studies. This review reflects how MS-based approaches have extended our understanding of Aedes mosquito biology and the development of DENV and CHIKV infection in the vector. Finally, this review discusses future challenges in the field.
... Protein solutions prepared from resuspended pellets (SN2-AP and SN2-PP) and from extracts of tarsi and basal parts of forelegs were processed for shotgun analysis as described in Iovinella et al. (2015). Pellets obtained after extractions were directly reduced, alkylated and digested using the same protocol and assuming protein concentrations to be about twice as those in the corresponding supernatants. ...
... Although our proteomic analysis was unsuccessful in identifying any NPC2 protein, nevertheless we obtained evidence of their expression by the positive reaction observed in Western blot experiments using the antiserum against one of them. Since in our experience, shotgun proteomic experiments, using same protocols and equipments (Iovinella et al., 2015), could identify proteins undetected by Western blot, we cannot explain the discrepancy between the results obtained using the two techniques. The protein, that we name IscaNPC2-1 appears to be present both in the anterior part of the body, containing chemosensory organs, and in the posterior part. ...
In arthropods, the large majority of studies on olfaction have been focused on insects, where most of the proteins involved have been identified. In particular, chemosensing in insects relies on two families of membrane receptors, olfactory/gustatory receptors (ORs/GRs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs), and two classes of soluble proteins, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs). In other arthropods, such as ticks and mites, only IRs have been identified, while genes encoding for OBPs and CSPs are absent. A third class of soluble proteins, called Niemann-Pick C2 (NPC2) has been suggested as potential carrier for semiochemicals both in insects and other arthropods.
... This age grading method avoids the need for specialised equipment and can be done with minimal cost under field settings, but it is labour-intensive and only provides an indirect measure of the mosquitoes' physiological age. A range of additional methods have been explored for their potential use in mosquito age grading, including cuticular hydrocarbon analysis [14], gene expression [15][16][17] and protein profiling [18][19][20], MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry [18,[21][22][23], near-infrared (NIRS) and mid-infrared (MIRS) spectroscopy (recently reviewed in [24]) and quantification of spermatazoa [25]. NIRS and MIRS show the most promise, mainly due to the fast data acquisition they provide [26][27][28]. ...
Background
A rapid, accurate method to identify and to age-grade mosquito populations would be a major advance in predicting the risk of pathogen transmission and evaluating the public health impact of vector control interventions. Whilst other spectrometric or transcriptomic methods show promise, current approaches rely on challenging morphological techniques or simple binary classifications that cannot identify the subset of the population old enough to be infectious. In this study, the ability of rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (REIMS) to identify the species and age of mosquitoes reared in the laboratory and derived from the wild was investigated.
Results
The accuracy of REIMS in identifying morphologically identical species of the Anopheles gambiae complex exceeded 97% using principal component/linear discriminant analysis (PC-LDA) and 84% based on random forest analysis. Age separation into 3 different age categories (1 day, 5–6 days, 14–15 days) was achieved with 99% (PC-LDA) and 91% (random forest) accuracy. When tested on wild mosquitoes from the UK, REIMS data could determine the species and age of the specimens with accuracies of 91 and 90% respectively.
Conclusions
The accuracy of REIMS to resolve the species and age of Anopheles mosquitoes is comparable to that achieved by infrared spectroscopy approaches. The processing time and ease of use represent significant advantages over current, dissection-based methods. Importantly, the accuracy was maintained when using wild mosquitoes reared under differing environmental conditions, and when mosquitoes were stored frozen or desiccated. This high throughput approach thus has potential to conduct rapid, real-time monitoring of vector populations, providing entomological evidence of the impact of alternative interventions.
... Bioinformatics analysis of MS/MS raw data was performed using MaxQuant version 1.6.1.0 and searched using the Andromeda search engine [21,22]. The sequence database (Rattus norvegicus) used in the analysis was accessed from the UniProt database (n=29 928 protein isoforms, retrieved July 2021) [23]. ...
Background
Cinacalcet is a calcium-sensing receptor agonist that is clinically approved for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease and hypercalcemia in patients with parathyroid carcinoma. This study aimed to use quantitative mass spectrometry-based label-free proteomics to evaluate the effects of cinacalcet on protein expression in rat brains and livers.
Material/Methods
We randomly assigned 18 Wistar rats to 2 groups: an untreated control group (n=6) and a group treated with cinacalcet at a dose corresponding to the maximum dose used in humans (2 mg/kg/body weight, 5 days/week) divided into 7-day (n=6) and 21-day (n=6) treatment subgroups. A mass-spectrometry-based label-free quantitative proteomics approach using peptides peak area calculation was used to evaluate the changes in protein expression in examined tissues. Bioinformatics analysis of quantitative proteomics data was done using MaxQuant and Perseus environment.
Results
No changes in protein expression were revealed in the 7-day treatment subgroup. We detected 10 upregulated and 3 downregulated proteins in the liver and 1 upregulated protein in the brain in the 21-day treatment subgroup compared to the control group. Based on Gene Ontology classification, all identified differentially expressed proteins were indicated as molecular functions involved in the enzyme regulator activity (36%), binding (31%), and catalytic activity (19%).
Conclusions
These findings indicate that long-term cinacalcet therapy can impair phase II of enzymatic detoxication and can cause disturbances in blood hemostasis, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory mediators or contribute to the acceleration of cognitive dysfunction; therefore, appropriate patient monitoring should be considered.
... Protein digestion was carried out on 15 μg protein extracts. Reduction, alkylation and digestion were performed as previously described [39,40]. ...
The mite Varroa destructor is the major parasite of the honey bee and is responsible for great economical losses. The biochemical tools used by Varroa to detect semiochemicals produced by the host are still largely unknown. We have performed proteomic analysis on chemosensory organs of this species in order to identify putative soluble carriers for pheromones and other olfactory cues emitted by the host. In particular, we have analysed forelegs, mouthparts (palps, chelicera and hypostome) and the second pair of legs (as control tissue) in reproductive and phoretic stages of the Varroa life cycle. We identified 958 Varroa proteins, most of them common to organs and stages. Sequence analysis shows that four proteins can be assigned to the odorant-binding protein (OBP)-like class, which bear some similarity to insect OBPs, but so far are only reported in some Chelicerata. In addition, we have detected the presence of two proteins belonging to the Niemann-Pick family, type C2 (NPC2), which have been suggested to act as semiochemical carriers. This work contributes to elucidating the chemical communication systems in Varroa with the aim of understanding how detection of semiochemicals has evolved in terrestrial non-hexapod Arthropoda. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD008679.
... Linear gradient or combination of different gradients (Iovinella, Caputo, Michelucci, Dani, & della Torre, 2015) generally last up to 300 min whenever a LTQ-Orbitrap is used as detector; but they can be considerably shorter if more recent hybrid Orbitrap-based analyzers are used (Hu et al., 2016). Chromatographic parameters need to be optimized by injecting mixtures of digested standard proteins (such as bovin serum albumin) at femtomole levels and evaluating both the chromatographic profile and the sequence coverage based on MS and MS/MS experiments (see below). ...
Olfaction is capable of accomplishing incredible tasks: it starts with capturing an odor molecule, delivering it to the odorant receptors, converting it into an electrical stimulus and transmitting the data to the brain. And all of this in milliseconds. The sense of smell is not yet fully decoded and is far from being replicated by modern sensor technologies. One approach to convert biological recognition- and binding events in real-time and in a label-free manner to electrical signals is emulated in a “biomimetic electronic smell sensor”. It is based on a transistor, in many cases realized as a field-effect transistor (FET) with a biorecognition element, e.g., an odorant binding protein (OBP) converting the binding event of one of its typically many ligands directly into a measurable electrical signal. OBPs are immobilized on these FETs and modulate the current in the presence of smell molecules due to the charge redistribution in the gated channel. Graphene is an elegant candidate to realize such a sensor device because an atomic monolayer of a semiconducting material leads to increased sensitivity. Beside the direct molecule interaction with the substrate upon binding and its excellent biocompatible character, graphene has the advantage of a biological-friendly working point in the sub-Volt regime. Different approaches of preparation and functionalization of graphene field-effect transistors (gFETs) are utilized to tune the performance for odorant sensing. The evaluation of kinetic binding parameters like association and dissociation rate constants and the equilibrium affinity constants of protein-ligand interactions can be derived from the direct electrical read-out of such miniaturized sensor systems. In this article, the state of the art of gFET preparation, functionalization, and operation for odorant sensing will be discussed.
... Candidate proteins have also been identified for Ae. albopictus [57] and Anophelines [58]. It is unclear at this stage whether they are robust to the impacts of physiological and environmental variation or whether the technique can differentiate between more representative age groups. ...
An ability to characterize the age of mosquito populations could provide cost-effective and compelling entomological evidence for the potential epidemiological impacts of vector control. The average age of a mosquito population is the most important determinant of vectorial capacity and the likelihood of disease transmission. Yet, despite decades of research, defining the age of a wild-caught mosquito remains a challenging, impractical, and unreliable process. Emerging chemometric and existing transcriptional approaches may overcome many of the limitations of current morphological techniques, but their utility in terms of field-based monitoring programmes remains largely untested. Herein, we review the potential advantages and disadvantages of new and existing age-grading tools in an operational context.
... using a similar setting as described previously [23]. The data were searched by the built-in Andromeda search engine [24,25] against Mus musculus sequences obtained from the UniProt database (http://www.uniprot.org) accessed on September 2016. ...
Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is a mixture of vitamin E analogs derived from palm oil. We previously demonstrated that supplementation with TRF improved cognitive function and modulated amyloid pathology in AβPP/PS1 mice brains. The current study was designed to examine proteomic profiles underlying the therapeutic effect of TRF in the brain. Proteomic analyses were performed on samples of hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and striatum using liquid chromatography coupled to Q Exactive HF Orbitrap mass spectrometry. From these analyses, we profiled a total of 5,847 proteins of which 155 proteins were differentially expressed between AβPP/PS1 and wild-type mice. TRF supplementation of these mice altered the expression of 255 proteins in the hippocampus, mPFC, and striatum. TRF also negatively modulated the expression of amyloid beta A4 protein and receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase alpha protein in the hippocampus. The expression of proteins in metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, and those involved in Alzheimer’s disease were altered in the brains of AβPP/PS1 mice that received TRF supplementation.
... The elucidation of sperm proteins using high-throughput proteomics techniques is still rather limited, especially in complementary medicine studies. Most of the previous studies 17, 18 , especially those involving herbal extract treatments on murine model organisms, mainly utilized a 2D gel-based approach, which is far less sensitive than shotgun proteomics 19 . Most of these studies identified only around 200-300 proteins, which may not profile the entirety of the sperm proteome. ...
Diabetes mellitus has a deleterious effect on the male reproductive system, especially on sperm quality and spermatogenesis. Gynura procumbens ( G. procumbens ) is a traditional herb known for its ability to improve the fertility of diabetes-induced male rats. This study was designed to identify the differential expression of sperm proteins after treatment with G. procumbens aqueous extract on diabetes-induced male rats. The sperm proteome was profiled using label-free shotgun proteomics analysis. Sprague Dawley rats used in this study were divided randomly into four groups. One group was a normal control group (healthy rats), while the three other groups were induced with 50 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) of streptozotocin (STZ) to emulate the diabetic condition. The diabetic rats were divided into negative control (non-treated diabetic), metformin-treated (positive control) and G. procumbens aqueous extract-treated (450 mg/kg BW) groups. Oral treatments were administered for 14 consecutive days before the rats were euthanized. Total sperm protein samples were extracted from the caudal epididymis and run through SDS-PAGE. Later, samples were digested using trypsin before liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (Thermo Orbitrap Fusion) analysis. The acquired data were processed using MaxQuant and Perseus software. The mass spectrometry proteomics data is available through ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository, with the dataset identifier PXD011373.
... The LC-MS/MS data were analysed using MaxQuant software (version 1.5.3.30) as described by Iovinella et al. [26] and searched against the Rattus norvegicus protein sequences obtained from Uniprot database (proteome ID: UP000002494, accessed on February 2016). Peptide spectrum match and protein identification were filtered using a targetdecoy approach with a false discover rate of 1%. ...
Gynura procumbens (GP) is a medicinal herb that has long been known as anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycaemic. Recently, this herbal extract has been associated with a profertility effect, suggesting its applicability in treating both diabetes and male infertility. In this study, the effects of GP aqueous extract (GPAE) on diabetic rats were investigated through evaluating testes histology and androgen hormone levels as well as the implantation sites of female rats on copulation with the treated male rats. Three dosages of GPAE were used (150, 300, and 450 mg/kg), and there were three control groups [normal, diabetic, and metformin-treated diabetic]. Testes histology, androgen hormone levels, and number of implantation sites of the GPAE-treated groups matched those of the normal group in contrast to the diabetic and metformin-treated diabetic controls. Sperm proteomics analysis identified 666 proteins, but only 88 were consistently found in all the control and 450-mg/kg GPAE-treated groups. Four proteins, including cysteine-rich secretory protein 1, carboxylesterase 5A, zona pellucida binding protein, and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1, were significantly upregulated with GPAE treatment compared with the diabetic control, matching the protein levels of the normal group. These proteins were mainly involved in sperm maturation, sperm capacitation, and sperm-egg interaction, suggesting that GP treatment was able to restore the fertility of male diabetic rats at molecular protein level. In conclusion, GP treatment effectively treats infertility of male diabetic rats, possibly through the upregulation of proteins related to sperm maturation and sperm-egg interaction.
... Changes in abundance of protein age biomarkers as a potential age grading technique for Ae. albopictus has only been recently described 44 and it's still early in development. ...
To date, no methodology has been described for predicting the age of Aedes albopictus Skuse mosquitoes, commonly known as Asian tiger mosquitoes. In this study, we report the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique for characterizing the age of female laboratory reared Ae. albopictus. Using leave-one-out cross-validation analysis on a training set, laboratory reared mosquitoes preserved in RNAlater for up to a month were assessed at 1, 3, 7, 9, 13, 16, 20 and 25 days post emergence. Mosquitoes (N = 322) were differentiated into two age classes (< or ≥ 7 days) with 93% accuracy, into three age classes (<7, 7-13 and >13 days old) with 76% accuracy, and on a continuous age scale to within ±3 days of their actual average age. Similarly, models predicted mosquitoes (N = 146) excluded from the training model with 94% and 71% accuracy to the two and the three age groups, respectively. We show for the first time that NIRS, with an improved spectrometer and fibre configuration, can be used to predict the age of laboratory reared female Ae. albopictus. Characterization of the age of Ae. albopictus populations is crucial for determining the efficacy of vector control interventions that target their survival.
... Protein extract were prepared, processed and analyzed on a nanoLC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer as described in Iovinella et al. (2015). ...
Reproductive and task partitioning in large colonies of social insects suggest that colony members belonging to different castes or performing different tasks during their life (polyethism) may produce specific semiochemicals and be differently sensitive to the variety of pheromones involved in intraspecific chemical communication. The main peripheral olfactory organs are the antennal chemosensilla, where the early olfactory processes take place. At this stage, members of two different families of soluble chemosensory proteins [odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs)] show a remarkable affinity for different odorants and act as carriers while a further family, the Niemann-Pick type C2 proteins (NPC2) may have a similar function, although this has not been fully demonstrated. Sensillar lymph also contains Odorant degrading enzymes (ODEs) which are involved in inactivation through degradation of the chemical signals, once the message is conveyed. Despite their importance in chemical communication, little is known about how proteins involved in peripheral olfaction and, more generally antennal proteins, differ in honeybees of different caste, task and age. Here, we investigate for the first time, using a shotgun proteomic approach, the antennal profile of honeybees of different castes (queens and workers) and workers performing different tasks (nurses, guards, and foragers) by controlling for the potential confounding effect of age. Regarding olfactory proteins, major differences were observed between queens and workers, some of which were found to be more abundant in queens (OBP3, OBP18, and NPC2-1) and others to be more abundant in workers (OBP15, OBP21, CSP1, and CSP3); while between workers performing different tasks, OBP14 was more abundant in nurses with respect to guards and foragers. Apart from proteins involved in olfaction, we have found that the antennal proteomes are mainly characterized by castes and tasks, while age has no effect on antennal protein profile. Among the main differences, the strong decrease in vitellogenins found in guards and foragers is not associated with age.
... Protein digestion was carried out on 15 μg protein extracts. Reduction, alkylation and digestion were performed as previously described [39,40]. ...
Biological significance:
The mite Varroa destructor is the major parasite of the honey bee and is responsible for great economical losses. The biochemical tools used by Varroa to detect semiochemicals produced by the host are still largely unknown. This work contributes to understand the molecular basis of olfaction in Varroa and, more generally, how detection of semiochemicals has evolved in terrestrial non-hexapod Arthropoda. Moreover, the identification of molecular carriers involved in olfaction can contribute to the development of control strategies for this important parasite.
... For each sample, a volume containing the peptide mixture corresponding to 2.25 μg of digested proteins, was submitted to a nanoLC-nanoESI-MS/MS analysis on an Ultimate 3000 HPLC (Dionex, San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italy) coupled to a LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (Thermo Fisher, Bremen, Germany), as described in detail in Iovinella et al., 2015. 2.5. ...
In female mosquitoes, host-seeking and preference as well as several other important behaviours are largely driven by olfaction. Species of the Afrotropical Anopheles gambiae complex display divergent host-preference that are associated with significant differences in their vectorial capacity for human malaria. Olfactory sensitivity begins with signal transduction and activation of peripheral sensory neurons that populate the antennae, maxillary palps and other appendages. We have used shotgun proteomics to characterize the profile of soluble proteins of antennae and maxillary palps of three different species: An. coluzzii, An. arabiensis and An. quadriannulatus that display remarkable differences in anthropophilic behavior. This analysis revealed interspecific differences in the abundance of several proteins that comprise cuticular components, glutathione S-transferase and odorant binding proteins, the latter of which known to be directly involved in odour recognition.
... The mosquito is the cause of severe nuisance and may transmit several arboviral infections. Its capacity to harm humans may be related with the age of the insect, irrespective of its physiological status [1]. So far, European countries confirm that the most frequent arboviral diseases transmitted by the Ae. ...
With the advent of the post-genome era, omics technologies have developed rapidly and are widely used, including in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiome research. These omics techniques are often based on comprehensive and systematic analysis of biological samples using high-throughput analysis methods and bioinformatics, to provide new insights into biological phenomena. Currently, omics techniques are gradually being applied to forensic entomology research and are useful in species identification, phylogenetics, screening for developmentally relevant differentially expressed genes, and the interpretation of behavioral characteristics of forensic-related species at the genetic level. These all provide valuable information for estimating the postmortem interval (PMI). This review mainly discusses the available omics techniques, summarizes the application of omics techniques in forensic entomology, and their future in the field.
Among many medically important pathogens, arboviruses like dengue, Zika and chikungunya cause severe health and economic burdens especially in developing countries. These viruses are primarily vectored by mosquitoes. Having surmounted geographical barriers and threat of control strategies, these vectors continue to conquer many areas of the globe exposing more than half of the world’s population to these viruses. Unfortunately, no medical interventions have been capable so far to produce successful vaccines or antivirals against many of these viruses. Thus, vector control remains the fundamental strategy to prevent disease transmission. The long-established understanding regarding the replication of these viruses is that they reshape both human and mosquito host cellular membranes upon infection for their replicative benefit. This leads to or is a result of significant alterations in lipid metabolism. Metabolism involves complex chemical reactions in the body that are essential for general physiological functions and survival of an organism. Finely tuned metabolic homeostases are maintained in healthy organisms. However, a simple stimulus like a viral infection can alter this homeostatic landscape driving considerable phenotypic change. Better comprehension of these mechanisms can serve as innovative control strategies against these vectors and viruses. Here, we review the metabolic basis of fundamental mosquito biology and virus-vector interactions. The cited work provides compelling evidence that targeting metabolism can be a paradigm shift and provide potent tools for vector control as well as tools to answer many unresolved questions and gaps in the field of arbovirology.
Simple Summary
Advances in proteomics and bioinformatics analysis offer the potential to investigate nutrients’ influence on protein expression profiles, and consequently on biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components. However, knowledge in this area, particular about the exact way selenium modulates protein expression, remains limited. Therefore, in this project, global differential proteomic experiments were carried out in order to identify changes in the expression of proteins in animal tissues obtained from lambs on a specific diet involving the addition of a combination of different supplements, namely, inorganic selenium compounds, fish oil, and carnosic acid. Following inorganic selenium supplementation, a protein-protein interaction network analysis of forty differentially-expressed proteins indicated two significant clusters.
Abstract
Selenium is an essential nutrient, building twenty five identified selenoproteins in humans known to perform several important biological functions. The small amount of selenium in the earth’s crust in certain regions along with the risk of deficiency in organisms have resulted in increasingly popular dietary supplementation in animals, implemented via, e.g., inorganic selenium compounds. Even though selenium is included in selenoproteins in the form of selenocysteine, the dietary effect of selenium may result in the expression of other proteins or genes. Very little is known about the expression effects modulated by selenium. The present study aimed to examine the significance of protein expression in lamb tissues obtained after dietary supplementation with selenium (sodium selenate) and two other feed additives, fish oil and carnosic acid. Label-free mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis was successfully applied to examine the animal tissues. Protein-protein interaction network analysis of forty differently-expressed proteins following inorganic selenium supplementation indicated two significant clusters which are involved in cell adhesion, heart development, actin filament-based movement, plasma membrane repair, and establishment of organelle localization.
The estimation of the minimum time since death is one of the main applications of forensic entomology. This can be done by calculating the age of the immature stage of necrophagous flies developing on the corpse, which is confined to approximately 2–4 weeks, depending on temperature and species of the first colonizing wave of flies. Adding the age of the adult flies developed on the dead body could extend this time frame up to several weeks when the body is in a building or closed premise. However, the techniques for accurately estimating the age of adult flies are still in their beginning stages or not sufficiently validated. Here we review the current state of the art of analysing the aging of flies by evaluating the ovarian development, the amount of pteridine in the eyes, the degree of wing damage, the modification of their cuticular hydrocarbon patterns, and the increasing number of growth layers in the cuticula. New approaches, including the use of age specific molecular profiles based on the levels of gene and protein expression and the application of near infrared spectroscopy, are introduced, and the forensic relevance of these methods is discussed.
The list will be updated when the last submitted papers are published. Please kindly report any mistake or missing item. In particular, we miss a lot information regarding the PhD dissertations.
In the present study, the feeding stage, body parts, development and sex specific activity of Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) were observed in different mosquito species (Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi, An. culicifacies, An. annularis, An. subpictus, An. vagus). GST activity was assayed spectrophotometrically at 23°C, using a UV Max microplate Reader, to measure the rate of conjugation of GSH to CDNB. A significant species-specific difference in the activity of GST was noticed, highest being in unfed Ae. aegypti (41.2 nmol/min/mg) followed by unfed Cx. quinquefasciatus (7.9 nmol/min/mg) and the least in unfed An. stephensi (5.8 nmol/min/mg). In all the species the GST activity was found to be significantly higher in fully fed and gravid stages compared with the unfed, while the enzyme activity was reduced after egg laying either to the level of unfed animals or well below its level in all the experimental species. The GST activity was found to be higher in the abdominal region of all the experimental species in comparison with the other body parts (head and thorax). The GST activity of An. stephensi increased gradually through the larval stages and reached the maximum level in the pupae and remained at that level in the newly emerged adults. However, its activity declined markedly (10 fold) with ageing from 5 to 40 days. A significant sex-related difference in the specific activity of GST was found in An. stephensi where approximately 3.5 fold lower activity was observed in males compared with its females, whereas no significant variation was noticed in Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The study corroborates the fact that GSTs are differentially regulated by multiple mechanisms in response to xenobiotics modulation in situation-specific manner such as species, sex, feeding and developmental stage. The knowledge of situation-specific modulation of GST will provide a better understanding of GST based insecticide resistance mechanism which is essential for the design of sensitive monitoring methods and for an effective insecticide resistance management. The findings are significant in terms of the methods used to control mosquito vector population.
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an important vector for pathogens that affect human health, including the viruses that cause dengue and Chikungunya fevers. It is also one of the world's fastest-spreading invasive species. For these reasons, it is crucial to identify strategies for controlling the reproduction and spread of this mosquito. During mating, seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) are transferred from male mosquitoes to females, and these Sfps modulate female behavior and physiology in ways that influence reproduction. Despite the importance of Sfps on female reproductive behavior in mosquitoes and other insects, the identity of Sfps in Ae. albopictus has not previously been reported. We used transcriptomics and proteomics to identify 198 Sfps in Ae. albopictus. We discuss possible functions of these Sfps in relation to Ae. albopictus reproduction-related biology. We additionally compare the sequences of these Sfps with proteins (including reported Sfps) in several other species, including Ae. aegypti. While only 72 (36.4%) of Ae. albopictus Sfps have putative orthologs in Ae. aegypti, suggesting low conservation of the complement of Sfps in these species, we find no evidence for an elevated rate of evolution or positive selection in the Sfps that are shared between the two Aedes species, suggesting high sequence conservation of those shared Sfps. Our results provide a foundation for future studies to investigate the roles of individual Sfps on feeding and reproduction in this mosquito. Functional analysis of these Sfps could inform strategies for managing the rate of pathogen transmission by Ae. albopictus.
The survival characteristics of the mosquito Aedes aegypti affect transmission rates of dengue because transmission requires infected mosquitoes to survive long enough for the virus to infect the salivary glands. Mosquito survival is assumed to be high in tropical, dengue endemic, countries like Vietnam. However, the survival rates of wild populations of mosquitoes are seldom measured due the difficulty of predicting mosquito age. Hon Mieu Island in central Vietnam is the site of a pilot release of Ae. aegypti infected with a strain of Wolbachia pipientis bacteria (wMelPop) that induces virus interference and mosquito life-shortening. We used the most accurate mosquito age grading approach, transcriptional profiling, to establish the survival patterns of the mosquito population from the population age structure. Furthermore, estimations were validated on mosquitoes released into a large semi-field environment consisting of an enclosed house, garden and yard to incorporate natural environmental variability. Mosquito survival was highest during the dry/cool (January-April) and dry/hot (May-August) seasons, when 92 and 64% of Hon Mieu mosquitoes had survived to an age that they were able to transmit dengue (12 d), respectively. This was reduced to 29% during the wet/cool season from September to December. The presence of Ae. aegypti older than 12 d during each season is likely to facilitate the observed continuity of dengue transmission in the region. We provide season specific Ae. aegypti survival models for improved dengue epidemiology and evaluation of mosquito control strategies that aim to reduce mosquito survival to break the dengue transmission cycle.
Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillators that drive the rhythmic expression of a broad array of genes, orchestrating metabolism and physiology. Recent evidence indicates that post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms play essential roles in modulating temporal gene expression for proper circadian function, particularly for the molecular mechanism of the clock. Due to technical limitations in large-scale, quantitative protein measurements, it remains unresolved to what extent the circadian clock regulates metabolism by driving rhythms of protein abundance. Therefore, we aimed to identify global circadian oscillations of the proteome in the mouse liver by applying in vivo SILAC mouse technology in combination with state of the art mass spectrometry. Among the 3000 proteins accurately quantified across two consecutive cycles, 6% showed circadian oscillations with a defined phase of expression. Interestingly, daily rhythms of one fifth of the liver proteins were not accompanied by changes at the transcript level. The oscillations of almost half of the cycling proteome were delayed by more than six hours with respect to the corresponding, rhythmic mRNA. Strikingly we observed that the length of the time lag between mRNA and protein cycles varies across the day. Our analysis revealed a high temporal coordination in the abundance of proteins involved in the same metabolic process, such as xenobiotic detoxification. Apart from liver specific metabolic pathways, we identified many other essential cellular processes in which protein levels are under circadian control, for instance vesicle trafficking and protein folding. Our large-scale proteomic analysis reveals thus that circadian post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms play a key role in the temporal orchestration of liver metabolism and physiology.
Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are small soluble polypeptides that bind semiochemicals in the lymph of insect chemosensilla. In the genome of Anopheles gambiae, 66 genes encode OBPs and 8 encode CSPs. Here we monitored their expression through classical proteomics (2D gel-MS analysis) and a shotgun approach. The latter method proved much more sensitive and therefore more suitable for tiny biological samples as mosquitoes antennae and eggs. Females express a larger number and higher quantities of OBPs in their antennae than males (24 vs 19). OBP9 is the most abundant in the antennae of both sexes, as well as in larvae, pupae and eggs. Of the 8 CSPs, 4 were detected in antennae, while SAP3 was the only one expressed in larvae. Our proteomic results are in fairly good agreement with data of RNA expression reported in the literature, except for OBP4 and OBP5, that we could not identify in our analysis, nor could we detect in Western Blot experiments. The relatively limited number of soluble olfactory proteins expressed at relatively high levels in mosquitoes makes further studies on the coding of chemical messages at the OBP level more accessible, providing for few specific targets. Identification of such proteins in Anopheles gambiae might facilitate future studies on host finding behavior in this important disease vector.
Information on population age structure of mosquitoes under natural conditions is fundamental to the understanding of vectorial capacity and crucial for assessing the impact of vector control measures on malaria transmission. Transcriptional profiling has been proposed as a method for predicting mosquito age for Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes, however, whether this new method is adequate for natural conditions is unknown. This study tests the applicability of transcriptional profiling for age-grading of Anopheles gambiae, the most important malaria vector in Africa. The transcript abundance of two An. gambiae genes, AGAP009551 and AGAP011615, was measured during aging under laboratory and field conditions in three mosquito strains. Age-dependent monotonic changes in transcript levels were observed in all strains evaluated. These genes were validated as age-grading biomarkers using the mark, release and recapture (MRR) method. The MRR method determined a good correspondence between actual and predicted age, and thus demonstrated the value of age classifications derived from the transcriptional profiling of these two genes. The technique was used to establish the age structure of mosquito populations from two malaria-endemic areas in western Kenya. The population age structure determined by the transcriptional profiling method was consistent with that based on mosquito parity. This study demonstrates that the transcription profiling method based on two genes is valuable for age determination of natural mosquitoes, providing a new approach for determining a key life history trait of malaria vectors.
As the fat body is a critical tissue for mosquito development, metamorphosis, immune and reproductive system function, the characterization of regulatory modules targeting gene expression to the female mosquito fat body at distinct life stages is much needed for multiple, varied strategies for controlling vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. The hexameric storage protein, Hexamerin-1.2, of the mosquito Aedes atropalpus is female-specific and uniquely expressed in the fat body of fourth instar larvae and young adults. We have identified in the Hex-1.2 gene, a short regulatory module that directs female-, tissue-, and stage-specific lacZ reporter gene expression using a heterologous promoter in transgenic lines of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Male transgenic larvae and pupae of one line expressed no Escherichia coli β-galactosidase or transgene product; in two other lines reporter gene activity was highly female-biased. All transgenic lines expressed the reporter only in the fat body; however, lacZ mRNA levels were no different in males and females at any stage examined, suggesting that the gene regulatory module drives female-specific expression by post-transcriptional regulation in the heterologous mosquito. This regulatory element from the Hex-1.2 gene thus provides a new molecular tool for transgenic mosquito control as well as functional genetic analysis in aedine mosquitoes.
Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue virus, is well established throughout urban areas of the Southwestern US, including Tucson, AZ. Local transmission of the dengue virus, however, has not been reported in this area. Although many factors influence the distribution of the dengue virus, we hypothesize that one contributing factor is that the lifespan of female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the Southwestern US is too short for the virus to complete development and be transmitted to a new host. To test this we utilized two age grading techniques. First, we determined parity by analyzing ovarian tracheation and found that only 40% of Ae. aegypti females collected in Tucson, AZ were parous. The second technique determined transcript levels of an age-associated gene, Sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein 1 (SCP-1). SCP-1 expression decreased in a predictable manner as the age of mosquitoes increased regardless of rearing conditions and reproductive status. We developed statistical models based on parity and SCP-1 expression to determine the age of individual, field collected mosquitoes within three age brackets: nonvectors (0-5 days post-emergence), unlikely vectors (6-14 days post-emergence), and potential vectors (15+ days post-emergence). The statistical models allowed us to accurately group individual wild mosquitoes into the three age brackets with high confidence. SCP-1 expression levels of individual, field collected mosquitoes were analyzed in conjunction with parity status. Based on SCP-1 transcript levels and parity data, 9% of collected mosquitoes survived more than 15 days post emergence.
In preparing for metamorphosis, insect larvae store a huge amount of proteins in hemolymph, mainly hexamerins. Out of the four hexamerins present in the honeybee larvae, one, HEX 70a, exhibited a distinct developmental pattern, especially since it is also present in adults. Here, we report sequence data and experimental evidence suggesting alternative functions for HEX 70a, besides its well-known role as an amino acid resource during metamorphosis. The hex 70a gene consists of 6 exons and encodes a 684 amino acid chain containing the conserved hemocyanin N, M, and C domains. HEX 70a classifies as an arylphorin since it contains more than 15% of aromatic amino acids. In the fat body of adult workers, hex 70a expression turned out to be a nutrient-limited process. However, the fat body is not the only site for hex 70a expression. Both, transcript and protein subunits were also detected in developing gonads from workers, queens and drones, suggesting a role in ovary differentiation and testes maturation and functioning. In its putative reproductive role, HEX 70a however differs from the yolk protein, vitellogenin, since it was not detected in eggs or embryos.
There has been growing interest in Europe in recent years in the establishment and spread of invasive mosquitoes, notably the incursion of Aedes albopictus through the international trade in used tires and lucky bamboo, with onward spread within Europe through ground transport. More recently, five other non-European aedine mosquito species have been found in Europe, and in some cases populations have established locally and are spreading. Concerns have been raised about the involvement of these mosquito species in transmission cycles of pathogens of public health importance, and these concerns were borne out following the outbreak of chikungunya fever in Italy in 2007, and subsequent autochthonous cases of dengue fever in France and Croatia in 2010. This article reviews current understanding of all exotic (five introduced invasive and one intercepted) aedine species in Europe, highlighting the known import pathways, biotic and abiotic constraints for establishment, control strategies, and public health significance, and encourages Europe-wide surveillance for invasive mosquitoes.
Insect hexamerins have long been known as storage proteins that are massively synthesized by the larval fat body and secreted into hemolymph. Following the larval-to-pupal molt, hexamerins are sequestered by the fat body via receptor-mediated endocytosis, broken up, and used as amino acid resources for metamorphosis. In the honey bee, the transcript and protein subunit of a hexamerin, HEX 70a, were also detected in ovaries and testes. Aiming to identify the subcellular localization of HEX 70a in the female and male gonads, we used a specific antibody in whole mount preparations of ovaries and testes for analysis by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Intranuclear HEX 70a foci were evidenced in germ and somatic cells of ovarioles and testioles of pharate-adult workers and drones, suggesting a regulatory or structural role. Following injection of the thymidine analog EdU we observed co-labeling with HEX 70a in ovariole cell nuclei, inferring possible HEX 70a involvement in cell proliferation. Further support to this hypothesis came from an injection of anti-HEX 70a into newly ecdysed queen pupae where it had a negative effect on ovariole thickening. HEX 70a foci were also detected in ovarioles of egg laying queens, particularly in the nuclei of the highly polyploid nurse cells and in proliferating follicle cells. Additional roles for this storage protein are indicated by the detection of nuclear HEX 70a foci in post-meiotic spermatids and spermatozoa. Taken together, these results imply undescribed roles for HEX 70a in the developing gonads of the honey bee and raise the possibility that other hexamerins may also have tissue specific functions.
Author Summary
The level of protein produced by each gene corresponds approximately to the level of mRNA transcript produced by that gene: so high-abundance proteins, like those involved in protein synthesis, are represented by high-abundance transcripts, whereas low-abundance proteins, like those involved in signaling pathways, are represented by low-abundance transcripts. Furthermore, genetic variation can cause variation in transcript levels for the same gene between different individuals. These two observations have led to the assumption that inter-individual variation in transcript levels for any particular gene causes corresponding variation in protein levels. However, this need not be the case, because protein levels could be controlled not only by regulating transcript levels but also by regulating protein translation and stability. Because inter-individual variation in the levels of the transcript for any particular gene is typically less than 3-fold, rather than orders of magnitude, it is possible that the predominant cause of inter-individual variation in levels of any particular protein is transcription-independent regulation of protein levels. Here, we look in a genetically diverse population of 95 yeast strains at the genetic variation that leads in turn to variation in levels of 354 proteins that function within co-regulated networks. We find that the between-strain variation predominantly reflects transcription-independent mechanisms. If this result is typical of the proteome as a whole, it suggests that protein levels in genetically diverse populations cannot be accurately inferred from levels of their underlying transcripts.
The primary means of reducing malaria transmission is through reduction in longevity in days of the adult female stage of the Anopheles vector. However, assessing chronological age is limited to crude physiologic methods which categorize the females binomially as either very young (nulliparous) or not very young (parous). Yet the epidemiologically relevant reduction in life span falls within the latter category. Age-grading methods that delineate chronological age, using accurate molecular surrogates based upon gene expression profiles, will allow quantification of the longevity-reducing effects of vector control tools aimed at the adult, female mosquito. In this study, microarray analyses of gene expression profiles in the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae were conducted during natural senescence of females in laboratory conditions. Results showed that detoxification-related and stress-responsive genes were up-regulated as mosquitoes aged. A total of 276 transcripts had age-dependent expression, independently of blood feeding and egg laying events. Expression of 112 (40.6%) of these transcripts increased or decreased monotonically with increasing chronologic age. Seven candidate genes for practical age assessment were tested by quantitative gene amplification in the An. gambiae G3 strain in a laboratory experiment and the Mbita strain in field enclosures set up in western Kenya under conditions closely resembling natural ones. Results were similar between experiments, indicating that senescence is marked by changes in gene expression and that chronological age can be gauged accurately and repeatedly with this method. These results indicate that the method may be suitable for accurate gauging of the age in days of field-caught, female An. gambiae.
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was recently applied to age-grade and differentiate laboratory reared Anopheles gambiae sensu strico and Anopheles arabiensis sibling species of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato complex. In this study, we report further on the accuracy of this tool for simultaneously estimating the age class and differentiating the morphologically indistinguishable An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis from semi-field releases and wild populations. Nine different ages (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16 d) of An. arabiensis and eight different ages (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 d) of An. gambiae s.s. maintained in 250 x 60 x 40 cm cages within a semi-field large-cage system and 105 wild-caught female An. gambiae s.l., were included in this study. NIRS classified female An. arabiensis and An. gambiae s.s. maintained in semi-field cages as <7 d old or >/=7 d old with 89% (n = 377) and 78% (n = 327) accuracy, respectively, and differentiated them with 89% (n = 704) accuracy. Wild caught An. gambiae s.l. were identified with 90% accuracy (n = 105) whereas their predicted ages were consistent with the expected mean chronological ages of the physiological age categories determined by dissections. These findings have importance for monitoring control programmes where reduction in the proportion of older mosquitoes that have the ability to transmit malaria is an important outcome.
In order to study the differential protein expression in complex biological samples, strategies for rapid, highly reproducible and accurate quantification are necessary. Isotope labeling and fluorescent labeling techniques have been widely used in quantitative proteomics research. However, researchers are increasingly turning to label-free shotgun proteomics techniques for faster, cleaner, and simpler results. Mass spectrometry-based label-free quantitative proteomics falls into two general categories. In the first are the measurements of changes in chromatographic ion intensity such as peptide peak areas or peak heights. The second is based on the spectral counting of identified proteins. In this paper, we will discuss the technologies of these label-free quantitative methods, statistics, available computational software, and their applications in complex proteomics studies.
Efficient analysis of very large amounts of raw data for peptide identification and protein quantification is a principal challenge in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. Here we describe MaxQuant, an integrated suite of algorithms specifically developed for high-resolution, quantitative MS data. Using correlation analysis and graph theory, MaxQuant detects peaks, isotope clusters and stable amino acid isotope-labeled (SILAC) peptide pairs as three-dimensional objects in m/z, elution time and signal intensity space. By integrating multiple mass measurements and correcting for linear and nonlinear mass offsets, we achieve mass accuracy in the p.p.b. range, a sixfold increase over standard techniques. We increase the proportion of identified fragmentation spectra to 73% for SILAC peptide pairs via unambiguous assignment of isotope and missed-cleavage state and individual mass precision. MaxQuant automatically quantifies several hundred thousand peptides per SILAC-proteome experiment and allows statistically robust identification and quantification of >4,000 proteins in mammalian cell lysates.
Applications of bendiocarb produced a high insecticidal residual effect lasting up to 3 months on the most common indoor house surfaces. No significant decreases in mosquito man-biting rate levels were observed between treated and untreated villages. It was shown that almost equal proportions of intra- and peridomicillary mosquitoes came into contact with the insecticide, indicating that mosquitoes commonly enter houses, rest on treated surfaces and return to bite both indoors and outdoors. Although the insecticide was found to have a significant effect on the percentage parity (interpreted as abundance of older individuals) of intra- and peridomicillary Anopheles albimanus mosquitoes, parity recovered and continued a normal cyclic pattern that appeared to be dependent on relative abundance. The proximity of a treated village to an untreated village (1.2 km) can affect the age structure of mosquito populations through shared common resting and breeding sites.
Several molecular theories of aging postulate that there are age-dependent changes in gene expression and that these changes contribute to the reduction in the viability of senescent cells. High-resolution, semiautomated, quantitative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of many soluble proteins was used to test this hypothesis in Drosophila. Two-dimensional protein gel patterns were analyzed for each of three age groups of [(35)S]methionine-labeled adult male Drosophila melanogaster, which, except for their spermatocytes, consist entirely of fixed postmitotic cells. Seven relatively abundant polypeptides expressed in middle-aged (28-day-old) flies were absent in both young(10-day-old) and old (44-day-old) flies. Quantitative analyses of an additional 100 polypeptides were carried out by computer-assisted microdensitometry of fluorograms of the gel preparations. These analyses revealed a significant age-related heterogeneity in the quantitative distribution of radiolabel in these proteins. The data indicate that the qualitative pattern of gene expression is identical in young and old flies, but that profound quantitative changes occur in the expression of proteins during the Drosophila life-span.
Crustacean and cheliceratan hemocyanins (oxygen-transport proteins) and insect hexamerins (storage proteins) are homologous gene products, although the latter do not bind oxygen and do not possess the copper-binding histidines present in the hemocyanins. An alignment of 19 amino acid sequences of hemocyanin subunits and insect hexamerins was made, based on the conservation of elements of secondary structure observed in X-ray structures of two hemocyanin subunits. The alignment was analyzed using parsimony and neighbor-joining methods. Results provide strong indications for grouping together the sequences of the 2 crustacean hemocyanin subunits, the 5 cheliceratan hemocyanin subunits, and the 12 insect hexamerins. Within the insect clade, four methionine-rich proteins, four arylphorins, and two juvenile hormone-suppressible proteins from Lepidoptera, as well as two dipteran proteins, form four separate groups. In the absence of an outgroup sequence, it is not possible to present information about the ancestral state from which these proteins are derived. Although this family of proteins clearly consists of homologous gene products, there remain striking differences in gene organization and site of biosynthesis of the proteins within the cell. Because studies on 18S and 12S rRNA sequences indicate a rather close relationship between insects and crustaceans, we propose that hemocyanin is the ancestral arthropod protein and that insect hexamerins lost their copper-binding capability after divergence of the insects from the crustaceans.
Fourth-instar larvae of the autogenous mosquito, Aedes atropalpus, synthesize three hexamerins or hexameric storage proteins which are distinguished by different methionine and aromatic amino-acid contents. One protein, Hexamerin-1.2 (AatHex-1.2) is only found in female larvae and pupae. In order to investigate the molecular basis for this sex-specific accumulation, we have cloned and sequenced the cDNA encoding AatHex-1.2 and isolated and sequenced over 1 kb of the 5' flanking region of the AatHex-1.2 gene. The AatHex-1.2 transcript encodes a 81.6-kDa hexamerin subunit which contains 19.8% phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan and 8.6% methionine residues. The single-copy AatHex-1.2 gene consists of three exons and two small introns located at its 5' end. A 2.3-kb AatHex-1.2 mRNA accumulates only in female larvae and pupae and is expressed at very low levels in adult female mosquitoes. The temporal expression profile of this transcript is typical of other mosquito hexamerin genes, with rapid disappearance of the mRNA shortly after pupation. Hence this is the first observation of exclusively female-specific gene activity during preadult development of an insect. In the 5' flanking region of the AatHex-1.2 gene, we identified putative binding sites for transcription factors, such as GATA, C/EBP and Doublesex, typically involved in fat body- and female-specific gene activity in Diptera. These findings suggest that mechanisms for sex-specific transcription in the fat body may be well conserved between flies and mosquitoes.
Age is a critical determinant of an adult female mosquito's ability to transmit a range of human pathogens. Despite its central importance, relatively few methods exist with which to accurately determine chronological age of field-caught mosquitoes. This fact is a major constraint on our ability to fully understand the relative importance of vector longevity to disease transmission in different ecological contexts. It also limits our ability to evaluate novel disease control strategies that specifically target mosquito longevity. We report the development of a transcriptional profiling approach to determine age of adult female Aedes aegypti under field conditions. We demonstrate that this approach surpasses current cuticular hydrocarbon methods for both accuracy of predicted age as well as the upper limits at which age can be reliably predicted. The method is based on genes that display age-dependent expression in a range of dipteran insects and, as such, is likely to be broadly applicable to other disease vectors.
• Aedes aegypti
• age-grading
• gene expression
• cuticular hydrocarbons
• multivariate calibration
Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is currently the most invasive mosquito in the world. It is of medical importance due to its aggressive daytime human-biting behavior and ability to vector many viruses, including dengue, LaCrosse, and West Nile. Invasions into new areas of its potential range are often initiated through the transportation of eggs via the international trade in used tires. We use a genetic algorithm, Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production (GARP), to determine the ecological niche of Ae. albopictus and predict a global ecological risk map for the continued spread of the species. We combine this analysis with risk due to importation of tires from infested countries and their proximity to countries that have already been invaded to develop a list of countries most at risk for future introductions and establishments. Methods used here have potential for predicting risks of future invasions of vectors or pathogens.
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics measures peptides derived from proteins by proteolytic cleavage. Before performing the analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS/MS), nanoelectrospray-MS/MS (NanoES-MS/MS) or liquid chromatography-MS/MS (LC-MS/MS), the peptide mixtures need to be cleaned, concentrated and often selectively enriched or pre-fractionated, for which we employ simple, self-made and extremely economical stop-and-go-extraction tips (StageTips). StageTips are ordinary pipette tips containing very small disks made of beads with reversed phase, cation-exchange or anion-exchange surfaces embedded in a Teflon mesh. The fixed nature of the beads allows flexible combination of disks with different surfaces to obtain multi-functional tips. Disks containing different surface functionalities and loose beads such as titania and zirconia for phosphopeptide enrichment can be combined. Incorporation into an automated workflow has also been demonstrated. Desalting and concentration takes approximately 5 min while fractionation or enrichment takes approximately 30 min.
Evaluations were made of the accuracy and practicality of mosquito age grading methods based on changes to mosquito morphology; including the Detinova ovarian tracheation, midgut meconium, Polovodova ovariole dilatation, ovarian injection, and daily growth line methods. Laboratory maintained Aedes vigilax (Skuse) and Culex annulirostris (Skuse) females of known chronological and physiological ages were used for these assessments. Application of the Detinova technique to laboratory reared Ae. vigilax females in a blinded trial enabled the successful identification of nulliparous and parous females in 83.7-89.8% of specimens. The success rate for identifying nulliparous females increased to 87.8-98.0% when observations of ovarian tracheation were combined with observations of the presence of midgut meconium. However, application of the Polovodova method only enabled 57.5% of nulliparous, 1-parous, 2-parous, and 3-parous Ae. vigilax females to be correctly classified, and ovarian injections were found to be unfeasible. Poor correlation was observed between the number of growth lines per phragma and the calendar age of laboratory reared Ae. vigilax females. In summary, morphological age grading methods that offer simple two-category predictions (ovarian tracheation and midgut meconium methods) were found to provide high-accuracy classifications, whereas methods that offer the separation of multiple age categories (ovariolar dilatation and growth line methods) were found to be extremely difficult and of low accuracy. The usefulness of the morphology-based methods is discussed in view of the availability of new mosquito age grading techniques based on cuticular hydrocarbon and gene transcription changes.
A protein determination method which involves the binding of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 to protein is described. The binding of the dye to protein causes a shift in the absorption maximum of the dye from 465 to 595 nm, and it is the increase in absorption at 595 nm which is monitored. This assay is very reproducible and rapid with the dye binding process virtually complete in approximately 2 min with good color stability for 1 hr. There is little or no interference from cations such as sodium or potassium nor from carbohydrates such as sucrose. A small amount of color is developed in the presence of strongly alkaline buffering agents, but the assay may be run accurately by the use of proper buffer controls. The only components found to give excessive interfering color in the assay are relatively large amounts of detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100, and commercial glassware detergents. Interference by small amounts of detergent may be eliminated by the use of proper controls.
Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics is continuing to make major contributions to the discovery of fundamental biological processes and, more recently, has also developed into an assay platform capable of measuring hundreds to thousands of proteins in any biological system. The field has progressed at an amazing rate over the past five years in terms of technology as well as the breadth and depth of applications in all areas of the life sciences. Some of the technical approaches that were at an experimental stage back then are considered the gold standard today, and the community is learning to come to grips with the volume and complexity of the data generated. The revolution in DNA/RNA sequencing technology extends the reach of proteomic research to practically any species, and the notion that mass spectrometry has the potential to eventually retire the western blot is no longer in the realm of science fiction. In this review, we focus on the major technical and conceptual developments since 2007 and illustrate these by important recent applications.
As in many Lepidoptera, Plutella xylostella adults do not feed on protein and females must use accumulated reserves to supply vitellogenin synthesis. Storage proteins were quantified in females and males from the late larval stage through day 4 of adult life. The level of storage protein peaked in the early pupal stage, with females having about twice as much as males. In males, the level fell through pupal development and dropped to a trace by one day after eclosion. In females, level of storage proteins fell until eclosion, and then rose dramatically within four hours after the molt to about 2/3 of the original peak level. This post-eclosion increase, which has not been reported previously in insects, suggests that adult females synthesize hexamerins to resequester amino acids. Subsequently, the level of storage proteins fell as vitellogenin appeared and eggs were laid. The ability to synthesize and sequester amino acids as storage proteins during the adult stage has wide-ranging implication for protein management in insects, particularly those that are long-lived and have flexible schedules of reproduction.
Malaria is a devastating mosquito-borne disease, which affects hundreds of millions of people each year. It is transmitted predominantly by Anopheles gambiae, whose females must be >10 days old to become infective. In this study, cuticular lipids from a laboratory strain of this mosquito species were analyzed using a mass spectrometry method to evaluate their utility for age, sex and mating status differentiation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), in conjunction with an acenaphthene/silver nitrate matrix preparation, was shown to be 100% effective in classifying A. gambiae females into 1, 7-10, and 14 days of age. MALDI-MS analysis, supported by multivariate statistical methods, was also effective in detecting cuticular lipid differences between the sexes and between virgin and mated females. The technique requires further testing, but the obtained results suggest that MALDI-MS cuticular lipid spectra could be used for age grading of A. gambiae females with precision greater than with other available methods.
A key step in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is the identification of peptides in sequence databases by their fragmentation spectra. Here we describe Andromeda, a novel peptide search engine using a probabilistic scoring model. On proteome data, Andromeda performs as well as Mascot, a widely used commercial search engine, as judged by sensitivity and specificity analysis based on target decoy searches. Furthermore, it can handle data with arbitrarily high fragment mass accuracy, is able to assign and score complex patterns of post-translational modifications, such as highly phosphorylated peptides, and accommodates extremely large databases. The algorithms of Andromeda are provided. Andromeda can function independently or as an integrated search engine of the widely used MaxQuant computational proteomics platform and both are freely available at www.maxquant.org. The combination enables analysis of large data sets in a simple analysis workflow on a desktop computer. For searching individual spectra Andromeda is also accessible via a web server. We demonstrate the flexibility of the system by implementing the capability to identify cofragmented peptides, significantly improving the total number of identified peptides.
Determining malaria vector species and age is crucial to measure malaria risk. Although different in ecology and susceptibility to control, the African malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and An. arabiensis are morphologically similar and can be differentiated only by molecular techniques. Furthermore, few reliable methods exist to estimate the age of these vectors, which is a key predictor of malaria transmission intensity. We evaluated the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine vector species and age. This non-destructive technique predicted the species of field-collected mosquitoes with approximately 80% accuracy and predicted the species of laboratory-reared insects with almost 100% accuracy. The relative age of young or old females was predicted with approximately 80% accuracy, and young and old insects were predicted with > or = 90% accuracy. For applications where rapid assessment of the age structure and species composition of wild vector populations is needed, NIRS offers a valuable alternative to traditional methods.
The proteome of the recently discovered bacterium Methylocella silvestris has been characterized using three profiling and comparative proteomics approaches. The organism has been grown on two different substrates enabling variations in protein expression to be identified. The results obtained using the experimental approaches have been compared with respect to number of proteins identified, confidence in identification, sequence coverage and agreement of regulated proteins. The sample preparation, instrumental time and sample loading requirements of the differing experiments are compared and discussed. A preliminary screen of the protein regulation results for biological significance has also been performed.
With nuisance mosquito species, the goal of integrated pest management is to keep mosquito density below a tolerance level that is often set by economic, ecological, and political factors. This study compares actual human annoyance, as measured by a phone survey, with several measures of mosquito abundance, in order to determine a threshold that is both relevant and practical. The efficiency of CO2-baited traps, container index (CI), and oviposition traps for monitoring Aedes albopictus, and CO2-baited traps for monitoring Aedes caspius, was evaluated. CO2-baited traps were confirmed to be of low efficiency in Ae. albopictus collection, while correlation matrices showed a good relationship between CI and the number of eggs collected (R = 0.91), and between number of eggs and phone-survey nuisance level estimates (R = 0.88). Correlation between CI and phone-survey nuisance levels was slightly lower (R = 0.78). We found a close relationship between the nuisance level declared by residents and mosquito captures obtained with CO2-baited traps (Ae. caspius) and ovitraps (Ae. albopictus). An equation is presented to estimate annoyance according to dwelling characteristics and to the presence of children in the family.
After highly effective larviciding measures were applied to Culex pipiens fatigans Wiedemann populations in Rangoon, Burma, adult populations were found to be older than in nearby uncontrolled areas. The increase in average age of adults is attributed primarily to a higher daily survival rate in the controlled area and secondarily to the movement of older mosquitoes from uncontrolled areas to the controlled area.
Dipteran arylphorin receptors, insect hexamerins, cheliceratan and crustacean hemocyanins, and crustacean and insect tyrosinases display significant sequence similarities. We have undertaken a systematic comparison of primary and secondary structures of these proteins. On the basis of multiple sequence alignments the phylogeny of these proteins was investigated. Hexamerin subunits, hemocyanin subunits, and tyrosinases share extensive similarities throughout the entire amino acid sequence. Our studies suggest the origin of arthropod hemocyanins from ancient tyrosinase-like proteins. Insect hexamerins likely evolved from hemocyanins of ancient crustaceans, supporting the proposed sister-group position of these subphyla. Arylphorin receptors, responsible for incorporation of hexamerins into the larval fat body of diptera, are related to hexamerins, hemocyanins, and tyrosinase. The receptor sequences display extensive similarities to the first and third domains of hemocyanins and hexamerins. In the middle region only limited amino acid conservation was observed. Elements important for hexamer formation are deleted in the receptors. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that dipteran arylphorin receptors diverged from ancient hexamerins, probably early in insect evolution.
Pyruvate carboxylase (PC, pyruvate: carbon dioxide ligase [ADP-forming], EC 6.4.1.1) was purified from the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The purified PC showed two polypeptides of similar Mr (133 and 128 k). The N-terminal sequences of both polypeptides were shown to be very similar, if not identical. A polyclonal antiserum against the 133 kDa polypeptide cross-reacted strongly with the 128 kDa polypeptide. PC was found in all tissues examined. Using a semi-quantitative Western blot assay, PC was shown to be concentrated in the indirect flight muscles and fat body preparations. The ratios of the 133 to 128 kDa polypeptides were shown to differ in various tissues and an Aedes albopictus cell line. The indirect flight muscle was the only tissue in which the 128 kDa polypeptide was more abundant, while both the midgut and the cell line showed almost exclusively the 133 kDa polypeptide. Both peptides were present in varying amounts in brain, malpighian tubule, ovary and fat body preparation. The two isoforms of PC could play different roles in the flight muscle and other tissues.
The pupal hexamerins were characterized for two mosquitoes representative of the culicine and anopheline families, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. Like higher Diptera, both mosquito species express two types of hexamerins, Hex-1 and Hex-2, whose subunits are distinguished by different levels of methionine and aromatic amino acids. In A. aegypti there are two heterohexamers, AaHex-1 and AaHex-2. In A. gambiae there are two homohexamers, AgHex-1.1 and AgHex-1.2, and one heterohexamer, AgHex-2. These hexamerins are rich in aromatic residues, with 18-23% Phe + Tyr for Hex-1 subunits and 13-17% Phe + Tyr for Hex-2 subunits. In addition, both mosquito species synthesize methionine-rich Hex-1 subunits: Aedes AaHex-1 gamma (8% met) and Anopheles AgHex-1.1 (3.9% met). Aedes Hex-1 and Hex-2 proteins exhibit different, stage-specific tissue distributions: AaHex-2 is the primary hexamerin of late larval hemolymph whereas AaHex-1 is the most important non-hemolymph protein of early pupae. Although both proteins are stored in the pupal fat body, peak AaHex-1 levels are 2-fold higher. Both pupal protein levels decline rapidly between 25 and 36 h after pupation. Furthermore, AaHex-1 not only reaches peak values in female Aedes pupae later than in males, but the methionine-rich AaHex-1 gamma subunit level is specifically higher in females. These observations suggest different roles for Hex-1 and Hex-2 during mosquito development.
Fourth-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti synthesize two types of hexamerins, Hexamerin-1 (AaHex-1) and Hexamerin-2 (AaHex-2), whose subunits are distinguished by different methionine and aromatic amino acid contents. In early female pupae only the methionine-rich AaHex-1gamma subunit accumulates to two-fold higher levels than in males. To investigate the relationship between hexamerin structure and the roles of Hex-1 and Hex-2 during mosquito development and reproduction, we have cloned and sequenced cDNAs encoding the AaHex-2alpha, -2beta and AaHex-1gamma subunits. Comparison with other insect hexamerins revealed that the Aedes Hex-1 and Hex-2 proteins belong, respectively, to the two hexamerin subfamilies previously defined for brachyceran Diptera. Probes specific for the Hex-2alpha and Hex-1gamma transcripts showed that expression of both genes follows the same developmental timetable. However, greater Hex-1gamma mRNA accumulation may contribute to the higher levels of Hex-1 gamma protein in early female pupae.
We previously described methods for age-grading female Aedes aegypti (L.) by gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of whole-body cuticular hydrocarbon patterns. Two regression models were developed that were based on the age-dependent, relative abundance of 2 cuticular hydrocarbons, pentacosane (GC peak 1) and nonacosane (GC peak 5). We have refined this method so that only the legs are required to age individual females. Two new regression models were developed that also use the relative abundance of a 3rd cuticular hydrocarbon, octacosane (GC peak 4). These models improve the overall accuracy of the cuticular hydrocarbon method for aging female mosquitoes, especially for older females from 132 to 165 degree-days (DD) of age (12-15 calendar days at 28 degrees C). The correlation coefficients (R2) for the best-fitted linear regression models for aging females from 0 to 132 and 0-165 DD were 0.80 and 0.81, respectively (P < 0.001 in all cases). The use of leg cuticular hydrocarbons for estimating the age of female Ae. aegypti has a significant advantage over whole-body extracts as indicated by the decreased variability associated with the relative abundance of pentacosane and the expanded range over which the models were able to predict age accurately by the addition of the relative abundance of octacosane.
Hexamerins are proteins found in high abundance in the haemolymph of larval and adult insects. The expression patterns of the genes encoding the house fly, Musca domestica, hexamerins were determined by Northern analyses using cDNAs as probes. A cDNA, A1, hybridized to a fat body-specific messenger RNA (mRNA) which is detectable in larvae until pupation. Antibodies raised to the larval-specific hexamerin, Hex-L, bind recombinant protein encoded by a 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) product of A1, A2, indicating that the A cDNAs likely represent the genes encoding Hex-L. The F1, F2 and F3 cDNAs, corresponding to genes encoding an adult, female-enriched hexamerin, Hex-F, hybridized with an mRNA isolated from protein-fed females which has a temporal expression profile similar to that observed for the accumulation of Hex-F. Furthermore, expression of the mRNAs hybridizing to the F cDNAs is correlated with the abundance of Hex-F protein during the gonotrophic cycles. The mRNA transcription profiles indicate that the Hex-L and Hex-F genes are regulated in a sex-, tissue- and developmental phase-dependent manner. This stage-specific expression of hexamerins contrasts with the expression patterns of hexamerins seen in other insects. The conceptual translation products of larval hexamerin cDNAs showed identity with larval serum protein 1 (LSP1)-type hexamerins while the deduced products of the female hexamerin cDNAs showed the highest identity with LSP2-type hexamerins. Genomic analyses showed that the larval hexamerin and female hexamerin genes from M. domestica belong to two distinct multigenic families.
Many insect cuticular proteins include a 35-36 amino acid motif known as the R&R consensus. The extensive conservation of this region led to the suggestion that it functions to bind chitin. Provocatively, it has no sequence similarity to the well-known cysteine-containing chitin-binding domain found in chitinases and some peritrophic membrane proteins. Using fusion proteins expressed in E. coli, we show that an extended form of the R&R consensus from proteins of hard cuticles is necessary and sufficient for chitin binding. Recombinant AGCP2b, a putative cuticular protein from the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, was expressed in E. coli and the purified protein shown to bind to chitin beads. A stretch of 65 amino acids from AGCP2b, including the R&R consensus, conferred chitin binding to glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Directed mutagenesis of some conserved amino acids within this extended R&R consensus from hard cuticle eliminated chitin binding. Thus arthropods have two distinct classes of chitin binding proteins, those with the chitin-binding domain found in lectins, chitinases and peritrophic membranes (cysCBD) and those with the cuticular protein chitin-binding domain (non-cysCBD).
In previous studies, we developed linear regression models to age-grade female Aedes aegypti L. reared and maintained under controlled laboratory conditions. The models were based on temporal differences between two cuticular hydrocarbons, pentacosane (C25H52) and nonacosane (C29H60), which were extracted from Ae. aegypti legs and analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. These initial models predicted adult female age up to 165 DD (12-15 calendar d at 28 degrees C). The age of older mosquitoes, however, could not be accurately predicted. In this study, our original regression models were tested using age data obtained from mosquitoes maintained in a field laboratory and those that were marked, released, and recaptured in northwestern Thailand. Our field data led to the development of two new regression models: one for the cool-dry season (February-March) and one for the rainy season (July-August). Both models resulted in better estimates of age than the original model and thus improved our ability to predict the age of Ae. aegypti to 15 calendar d. Females older than 15 d can be identified as such, but their exact age cannot yet be estimated. The new models will be useful for epidemiological studies and evaluating the impact of Ae. aegypti control interventions for disease prevention.
The mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae), originally indigenous to South-east Asia, islands of the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, has spread during recent decades to Africa, the mid-east, Europe and the Americas (north and south) after extending its range eastwards across Pacific islands during the early 20th century. The majority of introductions are apparently due to transportation of dormant eggs in tyres. Among public health authorities in the newly infested countries and those threatened with the introduction, there has been much concern that Ae. albopictus would lead to serious outbreaks of arbovirus diseases (Ae. albopictus is a competent vector for at least 22 arboviruses), notably dengue (all four serotypes) more commonly transmitted by Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.). Results of many laboratory studies have shown that many arboviruses are readily transmitted by Ae. albopictus to laboratory animals and birds, and have frequently been isolated from wild-caught mosquitoes of this species, particularly in the Americas. As Ae. albopictus continues to spread, displacing Ae. aegypti in some areas, and is anthropophilic throughout its range, it is important to review the literature and attempt to predict whether the medical risks are as great as have been expressed in scientific journals and the popular press. Examination of the extensive literature indicates that Ae. albopictus probably serves as a maintenance vector of dengue in rural areas of dengue-endemic countries of South-east Asia and Pacific islands. Also Ae. albopictus transmits dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) in South-east Asia, south-eastern U.S.A. and both D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens (Raillet & Henry) in Italy. Despite the frequent isolation of dengue viruses from wild-caught mosquitoes, there is no evidence that Ae. albopictus is an important urban vector of dengue, except in a limited number of countries where Ae. aegypti is absent, i.e. parts of China, the Seychelles, historically in Japan and most recently in Hawaii. Further research is needed on the dynamics of the interaction between Ae. albopictus and other Stegomyia species. Surveillance must also be maintained on the vectorial role of Ae. albopictus in countries endemic for dengue and other arboviruses (e.g. Chikungunya, EEE, Ross River, WNV, LaCrosse and other California group viruses), for which it would be competent and ecologically suited to serve as a bridge vector.
Most insects produce two or more storage hexamers whose constituents and developmental profiles are sufficiently different to suggest specialization in the ways that they support metamorphosis and reproduction. Hexamerin specializations are compared here in the Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), which produces eggs during the pupal-adult molt, and the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), which produces eggs under long-day conditions after adult eclosion. In both sexes of both species, reserves of arylphorin (ArH) were exhausted by the end of metamorphosis. In Cecropia, the same was true for the high-methionine hexamerins, V-MtH and M-MtH. But in short day Monarch females 20-30% of the pupal reserves of V-MtH and M-MtH survived metamorphosis, persisting until long-day conditions were imposed to stimulate egg formation. Differences in storage sites have been documented in other lepidopterans, with MtH reserves being found primarily in fat body protein granules and the ArH reserve being found primarily in the hemolymph. Similar differences could explain how a fraction of the MtH's, but not of ArH, escapes utilization during metamorphosis in a species with post-eclosion egg formation. No differences in utilization schedules were detected between V- and M-MtH, despite divergent compositions and antigenic reactivity.
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are a diverse family of enzymes found ubiquitously in aerobic organisms. They play a central role in the detoxification of both endogenous and xenobiotic compounds and are also involved in intracellular transport, biosynthesis of hormones and protection against oxidative stress. Interest in insect GSTs has primarily focused on their role in insecticide resistance. GSTs can metabolize insecticides by facilitating their reductive dehydrochlorination or by conjugation reactions with reduced glutathione, to produce water-soluble metabolites that are more readily excreted. In addition, they contribute to the removal of toxic oxygen free radical species produced through the action of pesticides. Annotation of the Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster genomes has revealed the full extent of this enzyme family in insects. This mini review describes the insect GST enzyme family, focusing specifically on their role in conferring insecticide resistance.
Forty-eight cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from the epicuticular surface of the major Afrotropical malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. The hydrocarbons identified were 14 n-alkanes, 16 monomethyl alkanes, 13 dimethyl alkanes, 5 alkenes, with main-chain lengths ranging from C(17) to C(47), and the results are consistent with those from other Culicidae species. Qualitative differences were not observed between laboratory pools of three females and males, between different age-groups (0-16 days) and between single field specimens, whereas quantitative differences in CHC profiles were observed. Differences between sexes were more marked in individuals aged 0-2 days than in older ones. Both sexes undergo strong CHC profile changes with age, and individuals aged 0-2 days differ remarkably from the older ones. The possibility of exploiting these changes for estimating the age of mosquito was explored through multivariate analyses of the relative abundance of the compounds, using either the whole CHC profile or a subset of CHCs. Such a method allows us to assign more than 85% of females and 75% of males to the correct age-group. Although preliminary, these results show that the method is promising, as it has already been shown in Aedes aegypti and An. stephensi. The correct determination of the vector age (particularly in the case of the An. gambiae complex of sibling species) provides valuable information in malaria epidemiology and in evaluation of the effectiveness of vector control strategies. Further efforts will be made to validate this method on single specimens reared in seminatural conditions before being proposed to medical entomologists working in the Afrotropical region.
The glutathione transferases (glutathione S-transferases, GSTs) are a diverse family of enzymes involved in a wide range of biological processes, many of which involve the conjugation of the tripeptide glutathione to an electrophilic substrate. Relatively little is known about the endogenous substrates of mosquito GSTs, and most studies have focused on their role in insecticide metabolism, because elevated levels of GST activity have been associated with resistance to all the major classes of insecticides. In addition, there is growing interest in the role of this enzyme family in maintaining the redox status of the mosquito cell, particularly in relation to vectorial capacity. Most GSTs are cytosolic dimeric proteins, although a smaller class of microsomal GSTs exists in insects, mammals, and plants. Each GST subunit has a G site that binds glutathione and a substrate-binding site or H site. There are more than 30 GST genes in mosquitoes. Additional diversity is contributed by alternative splicing to produce GSTs with differing substrate specificities. In this review, we first discuss the diversity of insect GST enzymes and their mode of action before focusing on the various functions that have been attributed to specific mosquito GSTs.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted by Aedes spp mosquitoes, has recently caused several outbreaks on islands in the Indian Ocean and on the Indian subcontinent. We report on an outbreak in Italy.
After reports of a large number of cases of febrile illness of unknown origin in two contiguous villages in northeastern Italy, an outbreak investigation was done to identify the primary source of infection and modes of transmission. An active surveillance system was also implemented. The clinical case definition was presentation with fever and joint pain. Blood samples were gathered and analysed by PCR and serological assays to identify the causal agent. Locally captured mosquitoes were also tested by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of the CHIKV E1 region was done.
Analysis of samples from human beings and from mosquitoes showed that the outbreak was caused by CHIKV. We identified 205 cases of infection with CHIKV between July 4 and Sept 27, 2007. The presumed index case was a man from India who developed symptoms while visiting relatives in one of the villages. Phylogenetic analysis showed a high similarity between the strains found in Italy and those identified during an earlier outbreak on islands in the Indian Ocean. The disease was fairly mild in nearly all cases, with only one reported death.
This outbreak of CHIKV disease in a non-tropical area was to some extent unexpected and emphasises the need for preparedness and response to emerging infectious threats in the era of globalisation.
Major technological advances have made proteomics an extremely active field for biomarker discovery and validation in recent years. These improvements have lead to an increased emphasis on larger scale, faster and more efficient methods for protein biomarker discoveries in human tissues, cells and biofluids. However, most current proteomic methodologies for biomarker discovery and validation are not highly automated and generally labour intensive and expensive. Improved automation as well as software programs capable of handling a large amount of data are essential in order to reduce the cost of discovery and increase the throughput. In this review, we will discuss and describe the label-free mass spectrometry-based protein quantification technologies and a case study utilizing one of these methods for biomarker discovery.
- M T Sikulu
- J Monkman
- K A Dave
- M L Hastie
- P E Dale
- R L Kitching
- G F Killeen
- B H Kay
- J J Gorman
- L E Hugo
M.T. Sikulu, J. Monkman, K.A. Dave, M.L. Hastie, P.E. Dale, R.L. Kitching, G.F. Killeen,
B.H. Kay, J.J. Gorman, L.E. Hugo, Proteomic changes occurring in the malaria
mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi during aging, J. Proteome
126 (2015) 234–244.