Project description:A protein pilot dataset detecting Wolbachia proteins from protein extracted from dissected infected Culex pipiens mosquito ovaries. The experiment was based of an iTRAQ experiment comparing infected and uninfected ovarian tissues and has been usefull in characterizing the wPip (Buckeye) ovarian proteome.
Project description:During probing and feeding, an infected mosquito injects both virus and saliva into the host skin. The presence of mosquito saliva in the skin increases arbovirus pathogenesis in the bitten host, however the exact mechanism behind this remains to be determined. It is hypothesized that disease enhancement is dependent on the function of the dermal endothelium, where an increased permeability aids in the influx of virus-susceptible cells to the bite site and therefore more cells for the virus to replicate in. Here, we investigate and compare the effects of saliva from Culex and Aedes species on the human dermal endothelial cell function in vitro. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of Culex saliva on West Nile virus (WNV) pathogenesis in a mouse model. We found that salivary gland extract from anthropophilic mosquito species (Aedes and Cx. pipiens molestus) induce permeability of the human dermal endothelium, while an ornithophilic mosquito species (Cx. pip. pipiens) does not. We identified that this effect is due to the presence of protease(s) in Cx. pipiens molestus saliva. In addition, we show that the presence of Cx. saliva at the WNV inoculation site in vivo leads to more consistent weight loss, increased permeability in the inoculation site, and increased mortality compared to inoculation of WNV alone. Moving forward, identification and characterization of novel salivary proteins from similar but genetically distinct mosquito species will advance the development of intervention methods to combat potential transmission risks and disease severity of emerging mosquito-borne pathogens.
Project description:The following dataset is a Wolbachia proteome derived from protein extractions of infected ovaries of the mosquito host Culex pipiens.
Project description:Culex pipiens molestus and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus are the members of Culex pipiens Complex, but they display relatively large differences in behavior and physiological responses. We compared the genes of these mosquitoes to identify those that were differentially expressed in each subspecies. Such genes could play important roles in subspecies-specific blood feeding or oviposition behavior. Culex pipiens molestus and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus females were undertaken Illumina RNA sequencing.
Project description:Culex pipiens molestus and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus are the members of Culex pipiens Complex, but they display relatively large differences in behavior and physiological responses. We compared the genes of these mosquitoes to identify those that were differentially expressed in each subspecies. Such genes could play important roles in subspecies-specific blood feeding or oviposition behavior.
Project description:Investigation of gene expression level differences in Culex pipiens (SB) and C. quinquefasciatus (JHB) at three time points (8, 16, and 24 hours post-exposure) during the early pupal state in standard (25°C; 16 h light/8 h dark) and diapause-inducing (18°C; 8 h light/16 h dark) conditions. A forty-eight chip study (4 Expr12x135K slides) using cDNA from total RNA collected from two species in the Culex pipiens complex at 3 time-points during the early pupal stage to study gene expression differences between standard (25°C; 16 h light/8 h dark) and diapause-inducing (18°C; 8 h light/16 h dark) conditions, and between Culex pipiens (diapause) and C. quinquefasciatus (no diapause). Each chip measures the expression level of 18,692 protein coding genes, with 3 probes per gene and two-fold technical redundancy. Each of the 12-plex slides was used for one of four biological replicates. Probes were designed using the C.quinquefasciatus CpipJ1.2 geneset in VectorBase.
Project description:Genomic differentiation and intercontinental population structure of mosquito vectors Culex pipiens pipiens and Culex pipiens molestus
Project description:Culex pipiens pallens and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus are important vectors of many diseases, such as West Nile fever and lymphatic filariasis. The widespread use of insecticides to control these disease vectors and other insect pests has led to insecticide resistance becoming common in these species. High throughput screening using SSH and specific microarray platforms was thought to have identified some resistance-related genes. However, limitations of these methods meant that only a few hundred of the many thousand genes could be screened. It wasn’t until the sequencing of the Cx. quinquefasciatus genome in 2010 that it became possible to screen all 18.9 thousand genes in the mosquito genome for anti-insecticidal activity. We used high throughout Illumina sequencing to identify hundreds of Cx. p. pallens and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus genes that were differentially expressed in response to pesticide exposure. The identification of these genes is a vital first step for more detailed investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. In this study, larvae of Cx. pipiens pallens and Cx. pipiens quinquefasciatus were collected from field and transported to the laboratory and reared to adulthood to get F1 generation. Then, half of the F1 generation was conducted to pesticide bioassay. RNA extraction and Illumina sequencing were undertaken in another half of the F1 generation. Therefore, Samples used in Illumina sequencing did not contact any insecticides. Twelve Cx. pipiens pallens and Cx. pipiens quinquefasciatus lavae were undertaken Illumina RNA sequencing.