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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Hemocyte Differentiation Mediates The Mosquito Late-Phase Immune Response Against Plasmodium In Anopheles Gambiae, Ryan C. Smith, Carolina Barillas-Mury, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Hemocyte Differentiation Mediates The Mosquito Late-Phase Immune Response Against Plasmodium In Anopheles Gambiae, Ryan C. Smith, Carolina Barillas-Mury, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Ryan C. Smith
Plasmodium parasites must complete development in the mosquito vector for transmission to occur. The mosquito innate immune response is remarkably efficient in limiting parasite numbers. Previous work has identified a LPS-induced TNFα transcription factor (LITAF)-like transcription factor, LITAF-like 3 (LL3), which significantly influences parasite numbers. Here, we demonstrate that LL3 does not influence invasion of the mosquito midgut epithelium or ookinete-to-oocyst differentiation but mediates a late-phase immune response that decreases oocyst survival. LL3 expression in the midgut and hemocytes is activated by ookinete midgut invasion and is independent of the mosquito microbiota, suggesting that LL3 may be a component of …
The Plasmodium Bottleneck: Malaria Parasite Losses In The Mosquito Vector, Ryan C. Smith, Joel Vega-Rodríguez, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
The Plasmodium Bottleneck: Malaria Parasite Losses In The Mosquito Vector, Ryan C. Smith, Joel Vega-Rodríguez, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Ryan C. Smith
Nearly one million people are killed every year by the malaria parasite Plasmodium. Although the disease-causing forms of the parasite exist only in the human blood, mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are the obligate vector for transmission. Here, we review the parasite life cycle in the vector and highlight the human and mosquito contributions that limit malaria parasite development in the mosquito host. We address parasite killing in its mosquito host and bottlenecks in parasite numbers that might guide intervention strategies to prevent transmission.
Regulation Of Anti-Plasmodium Immunity By A Litaf-Like Transcription Factor In The Malaria Vector Anopheles Gambiae, Ryan C. Smith, Abraham G. Eappen, Andrea J. Radtke, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Regulation Of Anti-Plasmodium Immunity By A Litaf-Like Transcription Factor In The Malaria Vector Anopheles Gambiae, Ryan C. Smith, Abraham G. Eappen, Andrea J. Radtke, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Ryan C. Smith
The mosquito is the obligate vector for malaria transmission. To complete its development within the mosquito, the malaria parasite Plasmodium must overcome the protective action of the mosquito innate immune system. Here we report on the involvement of the Anopheles gambiae orthologue of a conserved component of the vertebrate immune system, LPS-induced TNFα transcription factor (LITAF), and its role in mosquito anti-Plasmodium immunity. An. gambiae LITAF-like 3 (LL3) expression is up-regulated in response to midgut invasion by both rodent and human malaria parasites. Silencing of LL3 expression greatly increases parasite survival, indicating that LL3 is part of an anti-Plasmodium defense …