Relish-mediated immune deficiency in the transgenic mosquito Aedes aegypti
Autor(es): Shin, S. W.; Kokoza, V.; Lobkov, I.; Raikhel, A. S.
Resumo: The lack of genetic means has been a serious limitation in studying mosquito immunity. We generated Relish-mediated immune deficiency (RMID) by transforming Aedes aegypti with the [Delta]Rel transgene driven by the vitellogenin (Vg) promoter using the pBac[3xP3-EGFP, afm] vector. A stable transformed line had a single copy of the Vg-[Delta]Rel transgene. The Vg-[Delta]Rel transgene expression was highly activated by blood feeding, and transgenic mosquitoes were extremely susceptible to the infection by Gram-negative bacteria. This RMID phenotype was characterized by severely reduced postinfection levels of antimicrobial peptides genes, defensin and cecropin. Crossing the RMID line with the wild-type strain produced the same RMID phenotype, indicating its dominant nature, whereas crossing with the Vg-def transgenic line, in which Defensin A was activated by blood feeding, restored the immunity to Enterobacter cloacae.
Palavras-Chave: Biological vectors; Genetics; Human diseases; Immunology; Biotechnology; Defensins; Gram-negative bacteria; Immunodeficiency; Insect immunity; Infection
Imprenta: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 100, n. 5, p. 2616-2621, 2003.
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Immunology ; Aedes aegypti - Public health
Data de publicação: 2003
