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Regulation of Anopheles gambiae male accessory gland genes influences postmating response in female

Dottorini, Tania; Persampieri, Tania; Palladino, Pietro; Baker, Dean A.; Spaccapelo, Roberta; Senin, Nicola; Crisanti, Andrea

Authors

Tania Persampieri

Pietro Palladino

Dean A. Baker

Roberta Spaccapelo

Nicola Senin

Andrea Crisanti



Abstract

In Drosophila, the accessory gland proteins (Acps) secreted from the male accessory glands (MAGs) and transferred along with sperm into the female reproductive tract have been implicated in triggering postmating behavioral changes, including refractoriness to subsequent mating and propensity to egg laying. Recently, Acps have been found also in Anopheles, suggesting similar functions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of Acps and their functional role in modulating Anoph-eles postmating behavior may lead to the identification of novel vector control strategies to reduce mosquito populations. We identified heat-shock factor (HSF) binding sites within the Acp promoters of male Anoph-eles gambiae and discovered three distinct Hsf isoforms; one being significantly up-regulated in the MAGs after mating. Through genome-wide transcription analysis of Hsf-silenced males, we observed significant down-regulation in 50% of the Acp genes if compared to control males treated with a construct directed against an unrelated bacterial sequence. Treated males retained normal life span and reproductive behavior compared to control males. However, mated wild-type females showed a 46% reduction of egg deposition rate and a 23% reduction of hatching rate (58% combined reduction of progeny). Our results highlight an unsus-pected role of HSF in regulating Acp transcription in A. gambiae and provide evidence that Acp down-regulation in males leads a significant reduction of progeny, thus opening new avenues toward the development of novel vector control strategies.—Dottorini, T., Persampieri, T.,

Citation

Dottorini, T., Persampieri, T., Palladino, P., Baker, D. A., Spaccapelo, R., Senin, N., & Crisanti, A. (2013). Regulation of Anopheles gambiae male accessory gland genes influences postmating response in female. FASEB Journal, 27(1), 86-97. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.12-219444

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Sep 20, 2012
Publication Date 2013-01
Deposit Date Feb 20, 2019
Journal The FASEB Journal
Print ISSN 0892-6638
Electronic ISSN 1530-6860
Publisher Federation of American Society of Experimental Biology (FASEB)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 27
Issue 1
Pages 86-97
DOI https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.12-219444
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1570989
Publisher URL https://www.fasebj.org/doi/10.1096/fj.12-219444