The Anopheles mosquito species is the primary vector responsible for transmitting malaria, a potentially fatal blood-borne illness. Since previous studies have identified various factors influencing mosquitoes' ability to transmit malaria, Yale researchers in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Infectious Diseases sought to understand the factors affecting the resistance to malaria in mosquitoes lacking the mosGILT protein.
Researchers found that mosGILT-null mosquitos showed a significant reduction in the expression of both genes related to ovarian development and immune-related genes. Interestingly, mosquitoes without the mosGILT protein showed significantly reduced expression of a separate gene zpg, increasing their resistance to malarial infection, and establishing a link between these genes and their roles in both ovarian development and malaria transmission.
To learn more, read the study: “mosGILT controls innate immunity and germ cell development in Anopheles gambiae.”
Arora, G., Tang, X., Cui, Y., Yang, J., Chuang, Y.-M., Joshi, J., Sajid, A., Dong, Y., Cresswell, P., Dimopoulos, G., & Fikrig, E. (2024). mosGILT controls innate immunity and germ cell development in Anopheles gambiae. BMC Genomics, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-023-09887-0