Mosquito biology. Evolution of sexual traits influencing vectorial capacity in anopheline mosquitoes.

Science
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

The availability of genome sequences from 16 anopheline species provides unprecedented opportunities to study the evolution of reproductive traits relevant for malaria transmission. In Anopheles gambiae, a likely candidate for sexual selection is male 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Sexual transfer of this steroid hormone as part of a mating plug dramatically changes female physiological processes intimately tied to vectorial capacity. By combining phenotypic studies with ancestral state reconstructions and phylogenetic analyses, we show that mating plug transfer and male 20E synthesis are both derived characters that have coevolved in anophelines, driving the adaptation of a female 20E-interacting protein that promotes oogenesis via mechanisms also favoring Plasmodium survival. Our data reveal coevolutionary dynamics of reproductive traits between the sexes likely to have shaped the ability of anophelines to transmit malaria.

Year of Publication
2015
Journal
Science
Volume
347
Issue
6225
Pages
985-8
Date Published
2015 Feb 27
ISSN
1095-9203
URL
DOI
10.1126/science.1259435
PubMed ID
25722409
PubMed Central ID
PMC4373528
Links
Grant list
260897 / European Research Council / International
R01 AI104956 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
1R01AI104956-01A1 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States