The molecular physiology of increased egg desiccation resistance during diapause in the invasive mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

ABSTRACT: Photoperiodic diapause is a crucial adaptation to seasonal environmental variation in a wide range of arthropods, but relatively little is known regarding the molecular basis of this important trait. In temperate populations of the mosquito Aedes albopictus, exposure to short-day (SD) lengths causes the female to produce diapause eggs. Tropical populations do not undergo a photoperiodic diapause. We identified a fatty acyl coA elongase transcript that is more abundant under SD versus long-day (LD) photoperiods in mature oocyte tissue of replicate temperate, but not tropical, A. albopictus populations. Fatty acyl CoA elongases are involved in the synthesis of long chain fatty acids (hydrocarbon precursors). Diapause eggs from a temperate population had one-third more surface hydrocarbons an

SUBMITTER: Urbanski JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2982042 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature