RESUMO
Seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) modify female phenotypes and have wide-ranging evolutionary implications on fitness in many insects. However, in the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, a highly destructive agricultural pest, the functions of Sfps are still largely unknown. To gain insights into female phenotypes regulated by Sfps, we used nano-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to conduct a proteomic analysis of the soluble proteins from reproductive organs of A. ludens. The proteins predicted to be transferred from males to females during copulation were 100 proteins from the accessory glands, 69 from the testes and 20 from the ejaculatory bulb, resulting in 141 unique proteins after accounting for redundancies from multiple tissues. These 141 included orthologues to Drosophila melanogaster proteins involved mainly in oogenesis, spermatogenesis, immune response, lifespan and fecundity. In particular, we found one protein associated with female olfactory response to repellent stimuli (Scribble), and two related to memory formation (aPKC and Shibire). Together, these results raise the possibility that A. ludens Sfps could play a role in regulating female olfactory responses and memory formation and could be indicative of novel evolutionary functions in this important agricultural pest.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Drosophila , Tephritidae , Animais , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Feminino , Masculino , Proteômica/métodos , Proteínas de Plasma Seminal/genética , Proteínas de Plasma Seminal/metabolismo , Tephritidae/metabolismoRESUMO
Mosquito-borne pathogens have spread throughout tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere causing increased burden of disease in the region. Outbreaks of dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika have occurred over the past several years. Mosquito blood-feeding patterns need to be assayed to assist in determining which vertebrates could act as hosts of these mosquito-borne pathogens and which mosquito species could act as vectors. We conducted bloodmeal analyses of mosquitoes collected at Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, a dry tropical forest reserve in Costa Rica. Mosquitoes were collected using backpack aspirators and light, gravid, and resting traps, and then identified morphologically. Blood-fed mosquitoes underwent DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and sequencing of the vertebrate cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase 1 genes to identify vertebrate bloodmeal hosts. Several mosquitoes known to vector pathogens were found including Culex (Melanoconion) erraticus Dyar & Knab (Diptera: Culicidae), Cx. (Mel.) pedroi Sirivanakarn & Belkin, Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse, Ae. (Ochlerotatus) scapularis Rondani, Ae. (Och.) serratus Theobald, and Ae. (Och.) taeniorhynchus Wiedemann. The most common bloodmeal hosts were basilisk lizards (Basiliscus vittatus) Wiegmann (Squamata: Corytophanidae) in Culex (Linnaeus) species and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Zimmermann (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) in Aedes (Meigen) species. These results show the diversity of mosquito species in a tropical dry deciduous forest and identify associations between mosquito vectors and potential pathogen reservoir hosts. Our study highlights the importance of understanding interactions between vector species and their hosts that could serve as predictors for the potential emergence or resurgence of mosquito-borne pathogens in Costa Rica.