Studying mosquito immune cells could improve understanding of disease transmission

Date:
August 24, 2021
Source:
Iowa State University
Summary:
A recent study led by an entomologist explores the different kinds
of cells that make up mosquito immune systems. The research could
shed light on how mosquitoes transmit malaria.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study that details mosquito immune cells could shed light on the
insect immune system and how mosquitoes transmit parasites that cause
malaria.


==========================================================================
A new study, published recently in the peer-reviewed scientific journal
eLife, identifies several new forms of mosquito immune cells, providing
new clarity into the mosquito immune system. Immune cells play a central
role in the immune response of mosquitoes toward malaria parasites and
viruses after these pathogens are taken up upon feeding on an infected
person. It's a field of study that has remained poorly understood due
to the lack of genetic tools, said Ryan Smith, an associate professor
of entomology at Iowa State University and lead author of the study.

"These experiments lay the foundation for a better understanding of how
these immune cells function that could lead to a future when humans are
able to make mosquitoes unable to transmit disease," Smith said.

The new study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing, a relatively new
technique that allows researchers to examine the cellular messages
within individual cells, to characterize mosquito immune cells, known
as hemocytes. The study found mosquito hemocytes show greater complexity
than previously thought, evidence of cell differentiation, and that some
cells may even undergo a maturation process. The authors also provided comparative analysis to single- cell studies in other insect systems, highlighting important similarities and differences between mosquitoes
and other insects. The new study is an important first step for future exploration of the mosquito immune system, which could be important
for gaining better understanding of how mosquitoes transmit pathogens,
such as malaria parasites, to humans through their bite.

"There's a big body of evidence that suggests that immune cells of
mosquitoes are really critical to their ability to transmit disease,"
Smith said. "From that perspective, we haven't really known a great
deal about the molecular aspect of what those immune cells look like."
Previous evidence suggests immune cells mediate disease pathways in
mosquitoes, and play vital roles in killing malaria parasites at multiple stages in the mosquito host. The new study sets the stage for future
research aimed at answering those questions, he said.

Smith even envisions a future, though it's still years away, when this
line of research could lead to the production of mosquitoes genetically modified to overexpress certain immune cell populations that reduce the
ability of a mosquito to transmit pathogens that cause mosquito-borne
disease. These resistant mosquitoes could then be introduced into wild
mosquito populations to breed and spread these genetic traits. The result
could be mosquito populations that are less likely to spread disease to
humans, though Smith cautions it's all purely theoretical at this point.

Funding for the study came from the Swedish Society for Medical Research,
the Swedish Research Council and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Smith's co-authors include Hyeog-Sun Kwon at Iowa
State; Mubasher Mohammed and Johan Ankarklev of Stockholm University,
Sweden; and Oscar Franzen of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Additional project support came from Rick Masonbrink and Andrew Severin from the
Iowa State Genome Informatics Facility.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Iowa_State_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hyeogsun Kwon, Mubasher Mohammed, Oscar Franze'n, Johan Ankarklev,
Ryan C
Smith. Single-cell analysis of mosquito hemocytes identifies
signatures of immune cell subtypes and cell differentiation. eLife,
2021; 10 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.66192 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824121052.htm

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