Engineered anopheles immunity to plasmodium infection

Yuemei Dong; Suchismita Das; Chris Cirimotich; Jayme A. Souza-Neto; Kyle J. McLean; George Dimopoulos

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002458

Engineered anopheles immunity to plasmodium infection

Yuemei Dong, Suchismita Das, Chris Cirimotich, Jayme A. Souza-Neto, Kyle J. McLean, George Dimopoulos

Bloomberg School of Public Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

118 Scopus citations

Abstract

A causative agent of human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The malaria parasite is under intensive attack from the mosquito's innate immune system during its sporogonic development. We have used genetic engineering to create immune-enhanced Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes through blood meal-inducible expression of a transgene encoding the IMD pathway-controlled NF-kB Rel2 transcription factor in the midgut and fat-body tissue. Transgenic mosquitoes showed greater resistance to Plasmodium and microbial infection as a result of timely concerted tissue-specific immune attacks involving multiple effectors. The relatively weak impact of this genetic modification on mosquito fitness under laboratory conditions encourages further investigation of this approach for malaria control.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e1002458
Journal	PLoS pathogens
Volume	7
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002458
State	Published - Dec 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Parasitology
Microbiology
Immunology
Molecular Biology
Genetics
Virology

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AU - Dimopoulos, George

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Engineered anopheles immunity to plasmodium infection

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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