Rearing and Maintaining a<i>Culex</i>Colony in the Laboratory

Meuti, Megan E.; Siperstein, Alden; Wolkoff, Matthew

doi:10.1101/pdb.prot108080

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…Larvae were reared in plastic containers filled with reverse osmosis water and were fed a diet of ground fish food (Tetramin Tropical Fish Flakes) according to the procedure described by Meuti et al. ( 36 ). To optimize our metabolomic procedure and allow us to acquire spectra from single mosquitoes, we conducted a preliminary experiment where mosquito pupae were transferred to cages that contained sugar water only.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consuming royal jelly alters several phenotypes associated with overwintering dormancy in mosquitoes

Bianco,

Abdi,

Klein

et al. 2024

Front. Insect Sci.

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IntroductionFemales of the Northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, enter an overwintering dormancy, or diapause, in response to short day lengths and low environmental temperatures that is characterized by small egg follicles and high starvation resistance. During diapause, Culex pipiens Major Royal Jelly Protein 1 ortholog (CpMRJP1) is upregulated in females of Cx. pipiens. This protein is highly abundant in royal jelly, a substance produced by honey bees (Apis mellifera), that is fed to future queens throughout larval development and induces the queen phenotype (e.g., high reproductive activity and longer lifespan). However, the role of CpMRJP1 in Cx. pipiens is unknown.MethodsWe first conducted a phylogenetic analysis to determine how the sequence of CpMRJP1 compares with other species. We then investigated how supplementing the diets of both diapausing and nondiapausing females of Cx. pipiens with royal jelly affects egg follicle length, fat content, protein content, starvation resistance, and metabolic profile.ResultsWe found that feeding royal jelly to females reared in long-day, diapause-averting conditions significantly reduced the egg follicle lengths and switched their metabolic profiles to be similar to diapausing females. In contrast, feeding royal jelly to females reared in short-day, diapause-inducing conditions significantly reduced lifespan and switched their metabolic profile to be similar nondiapausing mosquitoes. Moreover, RNAi directed against CpMRJPI significantly increased egg follicle length of short-day reared females, suggesting that these females averted diapause.DiscussionTaken together, our data show that consuming royal jelly reverses several key seasonal phenotypes of Cx. pipiens and that these responses are likely mediated in part by CpMRJP1.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consuming royal jelly alters several phenotypes associated with overwintering dormancy in mosquitoes

Bianco,

Abdi,

Klein

et al. 2024

Front. Insect Sci.

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Establishing aCulexColony from Field-Collected Eggs

Meuti

Siperstein

Wolkoff

2023

Cold Spring Harb Protoc

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Culexlarvae are well adapted to growing and developing in containers, and therefore collecting and rearing field-collectedCulexto adulthood in the laboratory is relatively straightforward. What is substantially more challenging is simulating natural conditions that encourageCulexadults to mate, blood feed, and reproduce in laboratory settings. In our experience, this is the most difficult hurdle to overcome when establishing new laboratory colonies. Here, we detail how to collectCulexeggs from the field and establish a colony in the laboratory. Successfully establishing a new colony ofCulexmosquitoes in the laboratory will allow researchers to evaluate physiologically, behaviorally, and ecologically relevant aspects of their biology and better understand and manage these important disease vectors.

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A novel pyrazole–pyridine derivative (PPD) targets specific biological pathways in the larval stages of the northern house mosquito Culex pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Mohamed,

Al-Fuhaid,

Abeed

et al. 2023

JoBAZ

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Background Mosquitoes cause a variety of health problems in humans and pets. So, the control of mosquito larvae is one of the best ways to avoid health problems arising from diseases transmitted by these insects. There are various control mechanisms including mechanical, biological and chemical control. The latter, despite the presence of some obstacles associated with its use, is preferred because of its ability to supply rapid management results. Result A novel laboratory-synthesized chemical compound containing pyrazole and pyridine moieties (pyrazole–pyridine derivatives, PPD) was used to control and address the biological effects on Culex pipiens mosquito second larval instar. A sublethal concentration (LC30) of PPD inhibited larval growth by about 50%. Furthermore, the developmental time of larvae into pupae and the emergence of adults from the pupal stages were increased by about 20% and 17%, respectively. The ultrastructural studies on the midgut cells revealed that treated larvae suffered dramatic degeneration in the gastric caeca and the posterior midgut cells, while the anterior midgut epithelium appeared with an abundance of lysosomal activities. Additionally, treated larvae showed fluctuated activities in the levels of the detoxifying enzymes and increased levels in total antioxidants. Conclusions These results clearly show that pyrazole and pyridine moieties containing compounds can be used against larval stages of C. pipiens.

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Rearing and Maintaining aCulexColony in the Laboratory

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Consuming royal jelly alters several phenotypes associated with overwintering dormancy in mosquitoes

Consuming royal jelly alters several phenotypes associated with overwintering dormancy in mosquitoes

Establishing aCulexColony from Field-Collected Eggs

A novel pyrazole–pyridine derivative (PPD) targets specific biological pathways in the larval stages of the northern house mosquito Culex pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae)

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