IP Circulation

Thioester-containing proteins in innate immunity of mosquito Anopheles gambiae

E.A. Levashina 1 , L.F. Moita 1 , S. Blandin 1 , M. Lagueux 2 , J.A. Hoffmann 2 & F.C. Kafatos 1

1 EMBL, 1 Meyerhofstrasse, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany;
2 UPR9022 du CNRS, IBMC, 15 rue Rene Descartes, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France

Here we report a new family of proteins from human malaria insect vector Anopheles gambiae that share sequence and structural similarities with the family of C3/alpha2-macroglobulins. We show that these proteins play an important role in cellular immune response of mosquito. Developmental and immune-inducible expression of the genes encoding Anopheles thioester-containing proteins (aTEPs) will be presented with particular emphasis on aTEP-I. Western blotting analysis of aTEP-I demonstrates functionality of the aTEP-I thioester site and its specific role in binding to Gram-negative bacteria. Results of the phagocytic assays using a hemocyte-like mosquito cell line and of a RNAi knockout of aTEP-I will be discussed.

Copyright: The copyrights of this work belong to the author (see right-most box of the title table). It also appears in Session 13 - INSECT PHISIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCES, IMMUNITY AND CELL BIOLOGY Symposium and Poster Session, ABSTRACT BOOK II – XXI-International Congress of Entomology, Brazil, August 20-26, 2000.