Bacteria- and IMD pathway-independent immune defenses against Plasmodium falciparum in Anopheles gambiae.

ABSTRACT: The mosquito Anopheles gambiae uses its innate immune system to control bacterial and Plasmodium infection of its midgut tissue. The activation of potent IMD pathway-mediated anti-Plasmodium falciparum defenses is dependent on the presence of the midgut microbiota, which activate this defense system upon parasite infection through a peptidoglycan recognition protein, PGRPLC. We employed transcriptomic and reverse genetic analyses to compare the P. falciparum infection-responsive transcriptomes of septic and aseptic mosquitoes and to determine whether bacteria-independent anti-Plasmodium defenses exist. Antibiotic treated aseptic mosquitoes mounted molecular immune responses representing a variety of immune functions upon P. falciparum infection. Among other immune factors, our analysis unc

SUBMITTER: Blumberg BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3760850 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature