Browsing by Author "Kojin, Bianca B."
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- Aedes aegypti sialokinin facilitates mosquito blood feeding and modulates host immunity and vascular biologyMartin-Martin, Ines; Leon, Paola Carolina Valenzuela; Amo, Laura; Shrivastava, Gaurav; Iniguez, Eva; Aryan, Azadeh; Brooks, Steven; Kojin, Bianca B.; Williams, Adeline E.; Bolland, Silvia; Ackerman, Hans; Adelman, Zach N.; Calvo, Eric (Cell Press, 2022-04-12)Saliva from mosquitoes contains vasodilators that antagonize vasoconstrictors produced at the bite site. Sialokinin is a vasodilator present in the saliva of Aedes aegypti. Here, we investigate its function and describe its mechanism of action during blood feeding. Sialokinin induces nitric oxide release similar to substance P. Sialokinin-KO mosquitoes produce lower blood perfusion than parental mosquitoes at the bite site during probing and have significantly longer probing times, which result in lower blood feeding success. In contrast, there is no difference in feeding between KO and parental mosquitoes when using artificial membrane feeders or mice that are treated with a substance P receptor antagonist, confirming that sialokinin interferes with host hemostasis via NK1R signaling. While sialokinin-KO saliva does not affect virus infection in vitro, it stimulates macrophages and inhibits leukocyte recruitment in vivo. This work highlights the biological functionality of salivary proteins in blood feeding.
- Characterization of a female germline and early zygote promoter from the transcription factor bZip1 in the dengue mosquito Aedes aegyptiKojin, Bianca B.; Biedler, James K.; Tu, Zhijian Jake; Adelman, Zach N. (2020-07-17)Background The wide distribution of Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses, currently puts three billion people in the world at risk of infection with these viruses. Continuous transmission of these and other viruses despite aggressive efforts to prevent this emphasizes the need to develop new control strategies. Proposals to control disease transmission based on vector engineering, including both population suppression and population replacement, rely on the development of transgenes under the control of regulatory elements able to drive molecules in a specific tissue, time and strength. Methods Here we report the characterization of a promoter active in both the female germline and early zygote, derived from the transcription factor bZip1 in the mosquito Ae. aegypti, using transposon-based methods and RT-qPCR. Results We generated seven transgenic lines carrying AabZip1-reporter constructs and observed expression in both the ovary and early embryo. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to evaluate transcript expression patterns for each line, confirming that transgenic expression from the AabZip1 promoter largely recapitulated the endogenous expression pattern, albeit the strength of maternal expression appeared to be strongly influenced by chromosomal position. Conclusions This study provides a new regulatory sequence that can be useful for generating transgenic lines that can become a tool in vector control strategies.
- Integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Aedes aegypti eggshellMarinotti, Osvaldo; Ngo, Tuan; Kojin, Bianca B.; Chou, Shao-Pei; Nguyen, Brian; Juhn, Jennifer; Carballar-Lejarazú, Rebeca; Marinotti, Pedro N.; Jiang, Xiaofang; Walter, Marika F.; Tu, Zhijian Jake; Gershon, Paul D.; James, Anthony A. (2014-04-05)Background Mosquito eggshells show remarkable diversity in physical properties and structure consistent with adaptations to the wide variety of environments exploited by these insects. We applied proteomic, transcriptomic, and hybridization in situ techniques to identify gene products and pathways that participate in the assembly of the Aedes aegypti eggshell. Aedes aegypti population density is low during cold and dry seasons and increases immediately after rainfall. The survival of embryos through unfavorable periods is a key factor in the persistence of their populations. The work described here supports integrated vector control approaches that target eggshell formation and result in Ae. aegypti drought-intolerant phenotypes for public health initiatives directed to reduce mosquito-borne diseases. Results A total of 130 proteins were identified from the combined mass spectrometric analyses of eggshell preparations. Conclusions Classification of proteins according to their known and putative functions revealed the complexity of the eggshell structure. Three novel Ae. aegypti vitelline membrane proteins were discovered. Odorant-binding and cysteine-rich proteins that may be structural components of the eggshell were identified. Enzymes with peroxidase, laccase and phenoloxidase activities also were identified, and their likely involvements in cross-linking reactions that stabilize the eggshell structure are discussed.