BackgroundAbscisic acid (ABA) is naturally present in mammalian blood and circulating levels can be increased by oral supplementation. We showed previously that oral ABA supplementation in a mouse model of Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL infection reduced parasitemia and gametocytemia, spleen and liver pathology, and parasite transmission to the mosquito Anopheles stephensi fed on these mice. Treatment of cultured Plasmodium falciparum with ABA at levels detected in our model had no effects on asexual growth or gametocyte formation in vitro. However, ABA treatment of cultured P. falciparum immediately prior to mosquito feeding significantly reduced oocyst development in A. stephensi via ABA-dependent synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) in the mosquito midgut.ResultsHere we describe the mechanisms of effects of ABA on mosquito physiology, which are dependent on phosphorylation of TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) and associated with changes in homeostatic gene expression and activity of kinases that are central to metabolic regulation in the midgut epithelium. Collectively, the timing of these effects suggests a transient physiological shift that enhances NF-κB-dependent innate immunity without significantly altering mosquito lifespan or fecundity.ConclusionsABA is a highly conserved regulator of immune and metabolic homeostasis within the malaria vector A. stephensi with potential as a transmission-blocking supplemental treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2276-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.