Comparative Genomic Analysis of Drosophila melanogaster and Vector Mosquito Developmental Genes

Abstract

Genome sequencing projects have presented the opportunity for analysis of developmental genes in three vector mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles gambiae. A comparative genomic analysis of developmental genes in Drosophila melanogaster and these three important vectors of human disease was performed in this investigation. While the study was comprehensive, special emphasis centered on genes that 1) are components of developmental signaling pathways, 2) regulate fundamental developmental processes, 3) are critical for the development of tissues of vector importance, 4) function in developmental processes known to have diverged within insects, and 5) encode microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate developmental transcripts in Drosophila. While most fruit fly developmental genes are conserved in the three vector mosquito species, several genes known to be critical for Drosophila development were not identified in one or more mosquito genomes. In other cases, mosquito lineage-specific gene gains with respect to D. melanogaster were noted. Sequence analyses also revealed that numerous repetitive sequences are a common structural feature of Drosophila and mosquito developmental genes. Finally, analysis of predicted miRNA binding sites in fruit fly and mosquito developmental genes suggests that the repertoire of developmental genes targeted by miRNAs is species-specific. The results of this study provide insight into the evolution of developmental genes and processes in dipterans and other arthropods, serve as a resource for those pursuing analysis of mosquito development, and will promote the design and refinement of functional analysis experiments.

Stage-specific transcription during development of Aedes aegypti

“…Although developmental processes among mosquitoes may differ from species to species, a large number of orthologous genes known to play developmental functions are conserved among A. aegypti , A. gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus [36]. This is also reflected from gene expression patterns by comparing our A. aegypti microarray data with previously reported microarray data for A. gambiae [22].…”

“…The genome sequence of A. aegypti [18], along with that for two other mosquito species, C. quinquefasciatus (vector of lymphatic filariasis and West Nile virus) [38] and A. gambiae (major malaria vector) [39], have greatly enhanced our understanding of several aspects of mosquito biology [40]. A comparative genomic analysis of developmental genes in these mosquitoes with Drosophila melanogaster [36] indicated that while orthologs for most D. melanogaster developmental genes are present in mosquitoes, some key genes in D. melanogaster are not represented. The present investigation was initiated to profile transcriptional changes across the different stages of A. aegypti development.…”

Frizzled 2 is a key component in the regulation of TOR signaling-mediated egg production in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

“…A recent report identified single Fz2, Fz3, and Fz4 orthologs and four Fz1 orthologs in the mosquito Aedes aegypti (Behura et al, 2011). However, except for Fz2 (Figs.…”

“…Despite the discovery of several signaling intermediates of the Wnt signaling pathway (Behura et al, 2011), the detailed function and molecular mechanisms of Wnt signaling in the mosquito remain largely unknown. In this report, we demonstrated for the first time that a transmembrane receptor of the Wnt signaling pathway played an essential role in the regulation of mosquito vitellogenesis.…”

Identification and developmental profiling of conserved and novel microRNAs in Manduca sexta

“…Although initial discoveries were made in Drosophila (Elbashir et al, 2001; Lagos-Quintana et al, 2001), computational genome analysis and sequencing small RNA libraries uncovered a large number of miRNAs from a diverse group of insects. These include Drosophila (Lai et al, 2003; Lau et al, 2009; Lu et al, 2008; Ruby et al, 2007; Sandmann and Cohen, 2007; Stark et al, 2007), mosquitoes (Behura et al, 2011; Brunel et al, 2007; Chatterjee and Chaudhuri, 2006; Li et al, 2009; Mendes et al, 2010; Skalsky et al, 2010; Wang et al, 2005), honeybee (Chen et al, 2010; Weaver et al, 2007), silkworm (Cai et al, 2010; Cao et al, 2008; Huang et al, 2010; Jagadeeswaran et al, 2010; Jin et al, 2008; Liu et al, 2011; Tong et al, 2006; Yu et al, 2009; Yu et al, 2008b; Zhang et al, 2009), locust (Jia et al, 2010; Wei et al, 2009), pea aphid (Legeai et al, 2010), neotropical butterfly (Surridge et al, 2011), Blattella germanica (Cristino et al, 2011), and Tribolium castaneum (Singh and Nagaraju, 2008; Yu et al, 2008a). …”