Global Transcriptional Dynamics of Diapause Induction in Non-Blood-Fed and Blood-Fed Aedes albopictus

• Published in: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Main Authors: Huang, Xin, Poelchau, Monica F., Armbruster, Peter A.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science 2015
• Subjects: Research Article; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4405372/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25897664; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003724

The mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is an aggressive human biter capable of transmitting Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus and at least 22 additional viruses that cause human illness. Over the last 30 years, this mosquito has spread from its native Asian range to all continents except Antarctica. Efforts to control this mosquito have met with limited success. Photoperiodic diapause refers to the ability of insects to measure day length (photoperiod) as a cue for initiating developmental arrest (dormancy) in order to survive unfavorable seasonal conditions such as winter. Photoperiodic diapause is a crucial ecological adaption that enables Ae. albopictus and other medically important mosquitoes to inhabit temperate environments and spread across broad geographic ranges. Here, we identify genes that exhibit changes in expression levels (up-regulation or down-regulation) in association with the induction of photoperiodic diapause in Ae. albopictus. Some of these genes, based on their known biological function in other organisms, are implicated in regulating photoperiodic diapause and represent exciting targets for novel vector control strategies based on genetic or chemical disruption of this important adaptation.