Abstract

Mosquito genomics. Highly evolvable malaria vectors: the genomes of 16 Anopheles mosquitoes

Neafsey DE Waterhouse RM Abai MR Aganezov SS Alekseyev MA Allen JE Amon J Arca B Arensburger P Artemov G Assour LA Basseri H Berlin A Birren BW Blandin SA Brockman AI Burkot TR Burt A Chan CS Chauve C Chiu JC Christensen M Costantini C Davidson VL Deligianni E Dottorini T Dritsou V Gabriel SB Guelbeogo WM Hall AB Han MV Hlaing T Hughes DS Jenkins AM Jiang X Jungreis I Kakani EG Kamali M Kemppainen P Kennedy RC Kirmitzoglou IK Koekemoer LL Laban N Langridge N Lawniczak MK Lirakis M Lobo NF Lowy E MacCallum RM Mao C Maslen G Mbogo C McCarthy J Michel K Mitchell SN Moore W Murphy KA Naumenko AN Nolan T Novoa EM O'Loughlin S Oringanje C Oshaghi MA Pakpour N Papathanos PA Peery AN Povelones M Prakash A Price DP Rajaraman A Reimer LJ Rinker DC Rokas A Russell TL Sagnon N Sharakhova MV Shea T Simao FA Simard F Slotman MA Somboon P Stegniy V Struchiner CJ Thomas GW Tojo M Topalis P Tubio JM Unger MF Vontas J Walton C Wilding CS Willis JH Wu YC Yan G Zdobnov EM Zhou X Catteruccia F Christophides GK Collins FH Cornman RS Crisanti A Donnelly MJ Emrich SJ Fontaine MC Gelbart W Hahn MW Hansen IA Howell PI Kafatos FC Kellis M Lawson D Louis C Luckhart S Muskavitch MA Ribeiro JM Riehle MA Sharakhov IV Tu Z Zwiebel LJ Besansky NJ
Science. 2015;3471258522

Permenent descriptor

Variation in vectorial capacity for human malaria among Anopheles mosquito species is determined by many factors, including behavior, immunity, and life history. To investigate the genomic basis of vectorial capacity and explore new avenues for vector control, we sequenced the genomes of 16 anopheline mosquito species from diverse locations spanning ~100 million years of evolution. Comparative analyses show faster rates of gene gain and loss, elevated gene shuffling on the X chromosome, and more intron losses, relative to Drosophila. Some determinants of vectorial capacity, such as chemosensory genes, do not show elevated turnover but instead diversify through protein-sequence changes. This dynamism of anopheline genes and genomes may contribute to their flexible capacity to take advantage of new ecological niches, including adapting to humans as primary hosts.