High-Resolution Proteomics Unveils Salivary Gland Disruption and Saliva-Hemolymph Protein Exchange in <i>Plasmodium</i>-Infected Mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium sporozoites, the stage that initiates a malaria infection, must invade the mosquito salivary glands (SGs) before transmitting to a vertebrate host. However, the effects of sporozoite invasion on salivary gland physiology and saliva composition remain largely unexplored. We examined the impact of Plasmodium infection on Anopheles gambiae salivary glands using high-resolution proteomics, gene expression, and morphological analysis. The data revealed differential expression of various proteins, including the enrichment of humoral proteins in infected salivary glands originating from the hemolymph. These proteins diffused into the SGs due to structural damage caused by the sporozoites during invasion. Conversely, saliva proteins diffused out into the circulation

SUBMITTER: Alves E Silva TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11888397 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature