Featured Publications
Heterogeneity of midgut cells and their differential responses to blood meal ingestion by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti
Cui Y, Franz AWE. Heterogeneity of midgut cells and their differential responses to blood meal ingestion by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochemistry And Molecular Biology 2020, 127: 103496. PMID: 33188922, PMCID: PMC7739889, DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103496.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIntestinal stem cellsBlood meal ingestionMosquito midgutSingle-nucleus RNA sequencingCell type clustersCell typesVisceral muscle cellsNutrient absorptionCell type compositionHuman pathogenic parasitesNumerous mosquito speciesEC-like cellsBlood meal digestionEnteroendocrine cellsAedes aegyptiBlood-feeding behaviorMeal ingestionCellular homeostasisCellular diversityGenetic compatibilityHematophagous insectsFemale midgutTranscriptional profilesBlood digestionRNA sequencing
2024
Zika virus exists in enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells of the Aedes aegypti midgut
Chen T, Raduwan H, Marín-López A, Cui Y, Fikrig E. Zika virus exists in enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells of the Aedes aegypti midgut. IScience 2024, 27: 110353. PMID: 39055935, PMCID: PMC11269924, DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110353.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAedes aegypti midgutEnteroendocrine cellsSingle-cell RNA sequencingIntestinal stem cellsVirus infectionPathogen interactionsExpressed genesRNA sequencingCopy numberTranscriptomic changesFunctional studiesInfected cellsZika virus infectionEnteroendocrineBlood digestionRNA copy numberCellular levelCell processesGenesMidgutPotential targetCell clustersCellsEnterocytesViral infectionA cell atlas of the adult female Aedes aegypti midgut revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing
Wang S, Huang Y, Wang F, Han Q, Ren N, Wang X, Cui Y, Yuan Z, Xia H. A cell atlas of the adult female Aedes aegypti midgut revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing. Scientific Data 2024, 11: 587. PMID: 38839790, PMCID: PMC11153528, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03432-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle-cell RNA sequencingFat body cellsRNA sequencingSingle-cell levelHemocyte cellsEnteroendocrine cellsVisceral musclesSingle-nucleus resolutionTranscriptome of AeMosquito midgutAedes aegypti midgutMidgut transcriptomeBlood meal digestionCell atlasCardia cellsArbovirus infectionMeal digestionNutrient absorptionMidgut cellsMidgutBody cellsCell clustersPrimary vectorSequenceCellsmosGILT controls innate immunity and germ cell development in Anopheles gambiae
Arora G, Tang X, Cui Y, Yang J, Chuang Y, Joshi J, Sajid A, Dong Y, Cresswell P, Dimopoulos G, Fikrig E. mosGILT controls innate immunity and germ cell development in Anopheles gambiae. BMC Genomics 2024, 25: 42. PMID: 38191283, PMCID: PMC10775533, DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09887-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGerm cell developmentAnopheles gambiaeCell developmentOvarian developmentReductase-like proteinWild-type mosquitoesPlasmodium life cycleBiological controlGrowth genesEssential regulatorRNA sequencingA. gambiaeGenesGambiaeAltered expressionImpaired ovarian developmentMosquito vectorsLife cycleMosquitoesImmune activationPlasmodium infectionTranscriptomeOogenesisRegulatorProtein
2023
Bulk and single-nucleus RNA sequencing highlight immune pathways induced in individuals during an Ixodes scapularis tick bite
Tang X, Lynn G, Cui Y, Cerny J, Arora G, Tomayko M, Craft J, Fikrig E. Bulk and single-nucleus RNA sequencing highlight immune pathways induced in individuals during an Ixodes scapularis tick bite. Infection And Immunity 2023, 91: e00282-23. PMID: 37846980, PMCID: PMC10652856, DOI: 10.1128/iai.00282-23.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRNA sequencingSingle-nucleus RNA sequencingBulk RNA sequencingInterleukin-17 signalingPlatelet activation pathwaysLaboratory guinea pigsSnRNA-seqHippo signalingIndividual genesPeripheral bloodTick biteAdaptive immunityAnti-tick vaccinesGuidance pathwayImmune pathwaysNew biomarkersHost responseGuinea pigsHematophagous arthropodsHost defenseCell adhesionTick attachmentNovel insightsTick feedingPhysiological consequences
2022
Cellular diversity and gene expression profiles in the male and female brain of Aedes aegypti
Cui Y, Behura SK, Franz AWE. Cellular diversity and gene expression profiles in the male and female brain of Aedes aegypti. BMC Genomics 2022, 23: 119. PMID: 35144549, PMCID: PMC8832747, DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08327-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFemale brainMedulla neuronsCell clustersDimorphic behaviorsCell typesBrain cell typesSingle-nucleus RNA sequencingMonoaminergic neuronsProjection neuronsMosquito brainMale brainNeuronsKenyon cellsBrainYellow feverCell atlasCellular compositionGene expression profilesFemale mosquitoesGliaMosquito vectorsType compositionType proportionsRNA sequencingAdult males