Abstract
BackgroundSuccessful mating of female mosquitoes typically occurs once, with the male sperm being stored in the female spermatheca for every subsequent oviposition event. The female spermatheca is responsible for the maintenance, nourishment, and protection of the male sperm against damage during storage. Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviruses, including Yellow Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika. Vector control is difficult due to this mosquito high reproductive capacity.ResultsFollowing comparative RNA-seq analyses of spermathecae obtained from virgin and inseminated females, eight transcripts were selected based on their putative roles in sperm maintenance and survival, including energy metabolism, chitin components, transcriptional regulation, hormonal signaling, enzymatic activity, antimicrobial activity, and ionic homeostasis. In situ RNA hybridization confirmed tissue-specific expression of the eight transcripts. Following RNA interference (RNAi), observed outcomes varied between targeted transcripts, affecting mosquito survival, egg morphology, fecundity, and sperm motility within the spermathecae.ConclusionsThis study identified spermatheca-specific transcripts associated with sperm storage in Ae. aegypti. Using RNAi we characterized the role of eight spermathecal transcripts on various aspects of female fecundity and offspring survival. RNAi-induced knockdown of transcript AeSigP-66,427, coding for a Na+/Ca2+ protein exchanger, specifically interfered with egg production and reduced sperm motility. Our results bring new insights into the molecular basis of sperm storage and identify potential targets for Ae. aegypti control.
Highlights
Successful mating of female mosquitoes typically occurs once, with the male sperm being stored in the female spermatheca for every subsequent oviposition event
Our analyses were focused on assessing transcriptional profiles both prior to and after insemination
The total number of coding sequences was compared by their maximum relative RPKM (RPKM> 1), where RPKM = 1 corresponds to the value of the constitutive expression found in the whole body of both male and female, providing an enriched library for the two spermathecomes
Summary
Successful mating of female mosquitoes typically occurs once, with the male sperm being stored in the female spermatheca for every subsequent oviposition event. The female spermatheca is responsible for the maintenance, nourishment, and protection of the male sperm against damage during storage. Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviruses, including Yellow Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika. High reproductive capacity is observed in vectors considered to be highly effective in the transmission of a given pathogen [1, 2]. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is a major disease vector responsible for the transmission of arboviruses, such as Yellow Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika. In Ae. aegypti and other mosquitoes, mating is a single event in which the female acquires the male sperm that can last during her entire life. Once the eggs are ready for fertilization and the environmental conditions are favorable, the sperm is released from the spermatheca to fertilize the eggs during oviposition [8, 9]
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