The Aquaporin gene family of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is the principal vector of the Dengue and yellow fever viruses. During feeding, an adult female can take up more than its own body weight in vertebrate blood. After a blood meal females excrete large amounts of urine through their excretion system, the Malpighian tubules (MT). Diuresis starts within seconds after the mosquito starts feeding. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of membrane transporters that regulate the flow of water, glycerol and other small molecules across cellular membranes in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Our aim was to identify aquaporins that function as water channels, mediating transcellular water transport in MTs of adult female Ae. aegypti.

Methodology/principal findings

Using a bioinformatics approach we

SUBMITTER: Drake LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3014591 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature