Project description:The Virochip microarray (version 5.0, Viro5AGL-60K platform) was used to verify the presence or absence of Chikungunya virus in RNA extracts from asymptomatic blood donors located in Puerto Rico.
Project description:Mosquitoes are the most notorious hematophagous insects and due to their blood feeding behavior and genetic compatibility, numerous mosquito species are highly efficient vectors for certain human pathogenic parasites and viruses. The mosquito midgut is the principal organ of blood meal digestion and nutrient absorption. It is also the initial site of infection with blood meal acquired parasites and viruses. We conducted an analysis based on single-nucleus RNA sequencing(snRNA-Seq) to assess the cellular diversity of the midgut and how individual cells respond to blood meal ingestion to facilitate its digestion.
Project description:Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes transmit the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the majority of fatal malaria cases worldwide. The hematophagous life style defines the mosquito reproductive biology and is exploited by P. falciparum for its own sexual reproduction and transmission. The two main phases of the mosquito reproductive cycle, pre-vitellogenic (PV) and post-blood meal (PBM) shape its capacity to transmit malaria. Transition between these phases is tightly coordinated to ensure homeostasis between mosquito tissues and successful reproduction. One layer of control is provided by microRNAs, well-known regulators of blood meal digestion and egg development in mosquitoes. Here, we report a global overview of tissue-specific miRNA expression during the PV and PBM phases and identify miRNAs regulated during PV to PBM transition. The observed coordinated changes in the expression levels of a set of miRNAs in the energy-storing tissues suggest a role in the regulation of blood meal-induced metabolic changes.
Project description:Untransfected (no siRNA), control siRNA or TOP1 siRNA treated A549 cells were infected with A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(ΔNS1) for 12 hours
Project description:Small-scale microarray profiling of all the genes encoding P450 enzymes of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae in active steroidogenic organs of adults. Ovaries from non blood-fed females were compared to ovaries of blood-fed females at different times after the blood meal: 16 and 22h post-blood-meal, and to male reproductive tracts from males.
Project description:The Southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, is an anautogenous mosquito species that requires a blood meal in order to provision the eggs. Following the eclosion of the adults from the pupal stage, adult female mosquitoes require a period of time for mating and development before they are competent to take a blood meal. In order to better understand the genes involved in preparing the females to take a blood meal, populations of non-blooded adult female Cx. quinquefasciatus were collected from even-aged populations and used for RNA Seq analysis. A total of seven post-eclosion time points were selected (2, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 hours), which spanned the pre-blood feeding time period and the time period during which the females were competent for the acquisition of the blood meal. Overall, the majority of differentially-expressed genes were identified between the 2 and 12h time points with most genes reaching stable expression after 36h. This study identified the global changes in gene expression profiles over time as the females become competent to acquire the blood meal.
Project description:Untransfected (no siRNA), control siRNA or Xrn2 siRNA treated A549 cells were infected with A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(ΔNS1) for 4 hours 3 Biological Replicates per condition
Project description:Untransfected (no siRNA), control siRNA or SETX siRNA treated A549 cells were infected with A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(ΔNS1) for 4 hours 3 Biological Replicates per condition