Featured Publications
Cytoskeleton‐associated gelsolin responds to the midgut distention process in saline meal‐fed Aedes aegypti and affects arbovirus dissemination from the midgut
Cui Y, Megawati D, Lin J, Rehard D, Grant D, Liu P, Jurkevich A, Reid W, Mooney B, Franz A. Cytoskeleton‐associated gelsolin responds to the midgut distention process in saline meal‐fed Aedes aegypti and affects arbovirus dissemination from the midgut. The FASEB Journal 2024, 38: e23764. PMID: 39042395, PMCID: PMC11268798, DOI: 10.1096/fj.202302684rr.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsApoptotic signalingHost factorsInduction of apoptosisIncreased induction of apoptosisBlood meal ingestionDifferentially expressed proteinsActin filamentsCytoskeleton modulationTime course analysisSecondary tissuesBasal laminaStable knockoutTissue distentionAedes aegyptiMosquito linesFunctional studiesVertebrate hostsSynthesized virionsMosquito midgutMidgut escape barrierCourse analysisGelsolinSurrounding basal laminaMidgutMidgut tissue
2024
A 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 vectorSequenceCells
2022
Identification of the extracellular metallo-endopeptidases ADAM and ADAMTS in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti
Herd C, Yu X, Cui Y, Franz A. Identification of the extracellular metallo-endopeptidases ADAM and ADAMTS in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochemistry And Molecular Biology 2022, 148: 103815. PMID: 35932972, PMCID: PMC11149919, DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103815.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMosquito Aedes aegyptiVertebrate hostsSecondary tissuesYellow fever mosquito Aedes aegyptiCustom-made antibodiesProtein domain structureBloodmeal ingestionExtra-cellular matrix remodelingAedes aegyptiOvarian tissueHuman ADAM10Human orthologExpression profilingTranscriptional activityFunctional specificityTransient silencingMidgut epitheliumIngestion/digestionDependent endopeptidasesFemale reproductionBasal laminaMidgutMidgut structureMosquito tissuesSame time pointsCellular 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
2019
Zika Virus Dissemination from the Midgut of Aedes aegypti is Facilitated by Bloodmeal-Mediated Structural Modification of the Midgut Basal Lamina
Cui Y, Grant DG, Lin J, Yu X, Franz AWE. Zika Virus Dissemination from the Midgut of Aedes aegypti is Facilitated by Bloodmeal-Mediated Structural Modification of the Midgut Basal Lamina. Viruses 2019, 11: 1056. PMID: 31739432, PMCID: PMC6893695, DOI: 10.3390/v11111056.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsZika virusMidgut basal laminaBasal laminaDengue 4 virusDissemination patternsSame mosquito speciesMeal ingestionZIKV infectionZIKV disseminationInfectious bloodmealHuman pathogenic virusesChikungunya virusInfected mosquitoesViral titersVirus disseminationMosquito midgutSalivary glandsFive daysBloodmeal digestionBloodmeal ingestionIngestionVirusMidgut infectionIncreased numberKey tissues