Broad spectrum immunomodulatory effects of Anopheles gambiae microRNAs and their use for transgenic suppression of Plasmodium.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101238921 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1553-7374 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15537366 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS Pathog Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science, c2005-

Anopheles/*immunology ; Malaria, Falciparum/*parasitology ; MicroRNAs/*immunology ; Mosquito Vectors/*immunology ; Plasmodium berghei/*physiology ; Plasmodium falciparum/*physiology; Anopheles/genetics ; Anopheles/parasitology ; MicroRNAs/genetics ; Mosquito Vectors/genetics ; Mosquito Vectors/parasitology ; Plasmodium berghei/genetics ; Plasmodium berghei/immunology ; Plasmodium falciparum/genetics ; Plasmodium falciparum/immunology ; Animals ; Female

Malaria, caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, represents a major threat to human health. Plasmodium's infection cycle in the Anopheles vector is critical for transmission of the parasite between humans. The midgut-stage bottleneck of infection is largely imposed by the mosquito's innate immune system. microRNAs (miRNAs, small noncoding RNAs that bind to target RNAs to regulate gene expression) are also involved in regulating immunity and the anti-Plasmodium defense in mosquitoes. Here, we characterized the mosquito's miRNA responses to Plasmodium infection using an improved crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) method, termed covalent ligation of endogenous Argonaute-bound RNAs (CLEAR)-CLIP. Three candidate miRNAs' influence on P. falciparum infection and midgut microbiota was studied through transgenically expressed miRNA sponges (miR-SPs) in midgut and fat body tissues. MiR-SPs mediated conditional depletion of aga-miR-14 or aga-miR-305, but not aga-miR-8, increased mosquito resistance to both P. falciparum and P. berghei infection, and enhanced the mosquitoes' antibacterial defenses. Transcriptome analysis revealed that depletion of aga-miR-14 or aga-miR-305 resulted in an increased expression of multiple immunity-related and anti-Plasmodium genes in mosquito midguts. The overall fitness cost of conditionally expressed miR-SPs was low, with only one of eight fitness parameters being adversely affected. Taken together, our results demonstrate that targeting mosquito miRNA by conditional expression of miR-SPs may have potential for the development of malaria control through genetically engineered mosquitoes.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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R01 AI122743 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS; R21 AI113989 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS

0 (MicroRNAs)

Date Created: 20200425 Date Completed: 20200727 Latest Revision: 20210724

20260130

PMC7202664

10.1371/journal.ppat.1008453

32330198