Infection with Plasmodium berghei ookinetes alters protein expression in the brain of Anopheles albimanus mosquitoes

Abstract

BackgroundThe behaviour of Anopheles spp. mosquitoes, vectors for Plasmodium parasites, plays a crucial role in the propagation of malaria to humans. Consequently, it is important to understand how the behaviour of these mosquitoes is influenced by the interaction between the brain and immunological status. The nervous system is intimately linked to the immune and endocrine systems. There is evidence that the malaria parasite alters the function of these systems upon infecting the mosquito. Although there is a complex molecular interplay between the Plasmodium parasite and Anopheles mosquito, little is known about the neuronal alteration triggered by the parasite invasion. The aim of this study was to analyse the modification of the proteomic profile in the An. albimanus brain during the early phase of the Plasmodium berghei invasion.ResultsAt 24 hours of the P. berghei invasion, the mosquito brain showed an increase in the concentration of proteins involved in the cellular metabolic pathway, such as ATP synthase complex alpha and beta, malate dehydrogenase, alanine transaminase, enolase and vacuolar ATP synthase. There was also a rise in the levels of proteins with neuronal function, such as calreticulin, mitofilin and creatine kinase. Concomitantly, the parasite invasion repressed the expression of synapse-associated proteins, including enolyl CoA hydratase, HSP70 and ribosomal S60 proteins.ConclusionsIdentification of upregulated and downregulated protein expression in the mosquito brain 24 hours after Plasmodium invaded the insect midgut paves the way to better understanding the regulation of the neuro-endocrine-immune system in an insect model during parasite infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1830-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hemolymph protein profiles of subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes challenged with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa

“…In addition, enzymes such as enolase and malate dehydrogenase of central metabolic pathways 39 , 40 were upregulated in P. aeruginosa -challenged termites to suggest a higher energetic demand of the host to suppress P. aeruginosa infection. This is supported by recent studies in mosquitos ( Anopheles gambiae ) 41 after a parasite infection and moths ( Galleria mellonella ) 42 to bacterial and fungal infections. Interestingly, in termites challenged with heat-killed MRSA, neither the enolase nor the malate dehydrogenase was overexpressed compared to the naïve termites.…”

Dietary and Plasmodium challenge effects on cuticular hydrocarbons in Anopheles albimanus

“…In An. albimanus the infection with P. berghei lead to a differential expression of proteins in the infected midgut 61 and an increase in the concentration of brain proteins involved in the cellular metabolic pathway and neural function 62 .…”

Prediction of malaria transmission drivers in Anopheles mosquitoes using artificial intelligence coupled to MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

“…Nevertheless, spectra were acquired only at day 18 post-infection, and the dataset was small (only 100 spectra in total). Proteomic studies investigating the mosquito immune response to Plasmodium infection in the salivary glands 36,37 , haemolymph 38,39 , head 40 and brain 41 showed differential expression of proteins related to metabolism, synaptic transmission, signalling, and cytoskeletal remodelling. Changes in the haemolymph proteome could explain the detection of Plasmodium infection using the legs, which are not assumed to host the parasite.…”