Genes identified by an expression screen of the vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae display differential molecular immune response to malaria parasites and bacteria
Autor(es): Oduol, F; Xu, JN; Niare, O; Natarajan, R; Vernick, KD
Resumo: We performed a gene expression screen of the entire transcriptome of the major African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae for immune response genes in adult female mosquitoes, which is the developmental stage infected by malaria parasites. Mosquitoes were immune-stimulated for subtractive cloning by treatment with bacterial lipopolysaccharide. a potent and general elicitor of the innate immune response, and by injury. The screen yielded a highly enriched cDNA library in which more than half of the clones were immune responsive. In this paper, we describe 23 immune-regulated genes, including putative protease inhibitors, serine proteases, regulatory molecules, and a number of genes without known relatives. A molecule related to the protease inhibitor alpha-2-macroglobulin responded strongly to malaria parasite infection, but displayed little or no response to bacteria, whereas other genes exhibited the inverse pattern. These results indicate that the insect immune system discriminates between molecular signals specific to infection with bacteria and malaria parasites.
Palavras-Chave: Americana American Cockroach; Plasmodium-Falciparum; Melanotic Encapsulation; Sporogonic Development; Proteinase-Inhibitors; Antibacterial Peptide; Regenerating Legs; Aedes-Aegypti; Host-Defense; Nitric-Oxide
Imprenta: Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, v. 97, n. 21, p. 11397-11402, 2000
Identificador do objeto digital: 10.1073/pnas.180060997
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Molecular screening
Data de publicação: 2000