Abstract
BackgroundSaglin, a 100 kDa protein composed of two 50 kDa homodimers, is present in the salivary glands of Anopheles gambiae and has been considered an essential receptor for sporozoites (SPZ) of Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), allowing SPZ to recognize, bind to, and infect mosquito salivary glands. Spatial and temporal patterns of Saglin expression reported here, however, suggest that this model does not fully describe the Saglin–SPZ interaction.ResultsSaglin protein was detected by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy only in the medial and proximal-lateral lobes, but not in the distal-lateral lobes, of the salivary glands of An. gambiae; the pattern of expression was independent of mosquito age or physiological state. These results were confirmed by steady-state Saglin transcript and protein expression using qRT-PCR and Western-blot analysis, respectively. Saglin was localized to the basal surface of the cells of the medial lobes and was undetectable elsewhere (intracellularly, on the lateral or apical membranes, the cells’ secretory vacuoles, or in the salivary duct). In the cells of the proximal lateral lobes of the salivary glands, Saglin was distinctly intracellular and was not localized to any of the cell surfaces. Transgenic Anopheles stephensi were produced that expressed An. gambiae Saglin in the distal lateral lobes of the salivary gland. Additional Saglin expression did not enhance infection by PfSPZ compared to non-transgenic siblings fed on the same gametocyte-containing blood meal.ConclusionsThe absence of Saglin in the distal lateral lobes of the salivary glands, a primary destination for SPZ, suggests Saglin is not an essential receptor for Plasmodium SPZ. The lack of any correlation between increased Saglin expression in the distal lateral lobes of the salivary glands of transgenic An. stephensi and PfSPZ infection is also consistent with Saglin not being an essential salivary gland receptor for Plasmodium SPZ.
Highlights
Saglin, a 100 kDa protein composed of two 50 kDa homodimers, is present in the salivary glands of Anopheles gambiae and has been considered an essential receptor for sporozoites (SPZ) of Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf ), allowing SPZ to recognize, bind to, and infect mosquito salivary glands
A better understanding and targeted manipulation of mosquito-Plasmodium interactions could be important for optimizing development and manufacture of whole P. falciparum (Pf ) SPZ vaccines and infectious PfSPZ used for controlled human malaria infections (CHMI)
A piggyBac vector with a 3xP3DsRed marker gene and a transgene consisting of the promoter from the anopheline antiplatelet protein (AAPP) gene from An. stephensi regulating the expression of the Saglin open reading frame and the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the SV40 virus was constructed and introduced into the genome of An. stephensi [39, 40]
Summary
A 100 kDa protein composed of two 50 kDa homodimers, is present in the salivary glands of Anopheles gambiae and has been considered an essential receptor for sporozoites (SPZ) of Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf ), allowing SPZ to recognize, bind to, and infect mosquito salivary glands. A better understanding and targeted manipulation of mosquito-Plasmodium interactions could be important for optimizing development and manufacture of whole P. falciparum (Pf ) SPZ vaccines and infectious PfSPZ used for controlled human malaria infections (CHMI). PfSPZ raised in aseptically reared Anopheles stephensi are used to manufacture a family of Sanaria® PfSPZ products These include PfSPZ Vaccine (radiation attenuated PfSPZ) [4,5,6,7,8,9], PfSPZ Challenge (infectious PfSPZ) [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20], and PfSPZ-GA1 (genetically attenuated PfSPZ) [21]. Identifying the molecular physiological mechanisms that can be manipulated to improve mosquito infection rates by PfSPZ is important for optimizing the efficiency of production of PfSPZ-based products
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