Effects of Plasmodium berghei infection on Anopheles gambiae during oocysts development

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium ssp. are pathogens in their vertebrate hosts and also cause deleterious effects to their insect vectors. We show here, however, that Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes more efficiently accumulate energy resources (glycogen) during oocyst development, and survive better when they are starved. Microarray analysis revealed that mosquito metabolism is altered by the presence of rapidly growing oocysts in the midgut. Plasmodium infection is associated with enhanced expression of several insulin-like peptides in mosquitoes and blocking insulin-like signaling results in diminished Plasmodium development. We conclude that Plasmodium infection dramatically changes mosquito metabolism pathways, epitomized by enhanced insulin-signaling, and thereby confer a survival advantage to the insects du

ORGANISM(S): Anopheles gambiae

SUBMITTER: Sebastian Kurscheid 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-32200 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress