Mosquitoes’ reproductive cycle potential drug target
17 Mar 2016 by Evoluted New Media
US scientists are looking at ways to influence how mosquitoes mate to control the diseases they spread such as dengue fever, chikungunya and the Zika virus.
US scientists are looking at ways to influence how mosquitoes mate to control the diseases they spread such as dengue fever, chikungunya and the Zika virus.
Scientists believe genetic cues are passed on from the male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes during reproduction affecting which genes are switched on or off in the female’s reproductive tract, such as genes for blood feeding, egg development and immune defence. Similar mechanisms have been seen in female fruit flies with gene expression, behaviour and physiology affected by mating.
Professor Laura Harrington, study co-author from Cornell University, said: “We have two main goals. The first is to understand the basic biology of the mosquito mating system, and the second is to try to understand it in a way that we can develop novel strategies for controlling the mosquito. We are focusing on reproduction because we see it as the Achilles heel of the mosquito.”
Prior research carried out by Professor Mariana Wolfner, also from Cornell University, found after mating, female fruit flies increased egg production, fed less and were less likely to mate again. RNA sequencing was used to identify changes in the lower reproductive tract of female mosquitoes, by Professor Harrington and her team.
The scientists compared RNAs from reproductive tracts between mosquitoes that had and had not mated. Measurements were taken at three stages - after mating, six hours later and then 24 hours after the first reading.
Broad changes were found in how genes were regulated, and the researchers now hope to discover a molecule critical for female fertility. When located, an inhibitor for this molecule would stop fertile eggs being produced or prevent eggs travelling through the oviduct for fertilisation.
Professor Harrington said: "We can either genetically engineer males to not induce this specific molecule, or we can create a smart insecticide that binds with the molecule and makes it inaccessible to the female.”
The research was published in Public Library of Science for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
