Genomic composition and evolution of Aedes aegypti chromosomes revealed by the analysis of physically mapped supercontigs.

BACKGROUND: An initial comparative genomic study of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae and the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti revealed striking differences in the genome assembly size and in the abundance of transposable elements between the two species. However, the chromosome arms homology between An. gambiae and Ae. aegypti, as well as the distribution of genes and repetitive elements in chromosomes of Ae. aegypti, remained largely unexplored because of the lack of a detailed physical genome map for the yellow fever mosquito. RESULTS: Using a molecular landmark-guided fluorescent in situ hybridization approach, we mapped 624 Mb of the Ae. aegypti genome to mitotic chromosomes. We used this map to analyze the distribution of genes, tandem repeats and transposable elements along the chromosomes and to explore the patterns of chromosome homology and rearrangements between Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae. The study demonstrated that the q arm of the sex-determining chromosome 1 had the lowest gene content and the highest density of minisatellites. A comparative genomic analysis with An. gambiae determined that the previously proposed whole-arm synteny is not fully preserved; a number of pericentric inversions have occurred between the two species. The sex-determining chromosome 1 had a higher rate of genome rearrangements than observed in autosomes 2 and 3 of Ae. aegypti. CONCLUSIONS: The study developed a physical map of 45% of the Ae. aegypti genome and provided new insights into genomic composition and evolution of Ae. aegypti chromosomes. Our data suggest that minisatellites rather than transposable elements played a major role in rapid evolution of chromosome 1 in the Aedes lineage. The research tools and information generated by this study contribute to a more complete understanding of the genome organization and evolution in mosquitoes.

Influence of mosquito genotype on transcriptional response to dengue virus infection.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector that transmits dengue virus (DENV) to humans. The primary factors that trigger a susceptible or refractory interaction of A. aegypti with DENV are not well understood. In this study, our aim is to characterize the influence of vector genotype on differential gene expression of susceptible vs. refractory A. aegypti strains to DENV infection. To accomplish that, we identified differential expression of a set of complementary DNAs (cDNAs; n = 9,504) of the D2S3 (susceptible) and Moyo-D (refractory) strains of A. aegypti to DENV serotype 2 (JAM1409) and compared these results to the differential expression of cDNAs in a different susceptible vector genotype (Moyo-S) relative to the same refractory genotype (Moyo-D) identified from our previous study. We observed that, although the number of differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) was similar in both the studies, about ~95% of the DETs were distinct between Moyo-D/D2S3 vs. Moyo-D/Moyo-S. This suggested that A. aegypti response, to infection of a given genotype of dengue, is largely dependent upon the vector genotype. However, we observed a set of common DETs among the vector strains that were associated with predicted functions such as endocytosis, regulation of autophagy, peroxisome, and lipid metabolism that may be relatively universal in conferring mosquito response to DENV infection.

Stage-specific transcription during development of Aedes aegypti.

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is the most important global vector of dengue virus infection in humans. Availability of the draft genome sequence of this mosquito provides unique opportunities to study different aspects of its biology, including identification of genes and pathways relevant to the developmental processes associated with transition across individual life stages. However, detailed knowledge of gene expression patterns pertaining to developmental stages of A. aegypti is largely lacking. RESULTS: We performed custom cDNA microarray analyses to examine the expression patterns among six developmental stages: early larvae, late larvae, early pupae, late pupae, and adult male and female mosquitoes. Results revealed 1,551 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) showing significant differences in levels of expression between these life stages. The data suggests that most of the differential expression occurs in a stage specific manner in A. aegypti. Based on hierarchical clustering of expression levels, correlated expression patterns of DETs were also observed among developmental stages. Weighted gene correlation network analysis revealed modular patterns of expression among the DETs. We observed that hydrolase activity, membrane, integral to membrane, DNA binding, translation, ribosome, nucleoside-triphosphatase activity, structural constituent of ribosome, ribonucleoprotein complex and receptor activity were among the top ten ranked GO (Gene Ontology) terms associated with DETs. Significant associations of DETs were also observed with specific KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway modules. Finally, comparisons with the previously reported developmental transcriptome of the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae, indicated that gene expression patterns during developmental processes reflect both species-specific as well as common components of the two mosquito species. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that genes involved in the developmental life cycle of A. aegypti are expressed in a highly stage-specific manner. This suggests that transcriptional events associated with transition through larval, pupal and adult stages are largely discrete.

Genome-based polymorphic microsatellite development and validation in the mosquito Aedes aegypti and application to population genetics in Haiti.

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite markers have proven useful in genetic studies in many organisms, yet microsatellite-based studies of the dengue and yellow fever vector mosquito Aedes aegypti have been limited by the number of assayable and polymorphic loci available, despite multiple independent efforts to identify them. Here we present strategies for efficient identification and development of useful microsatellites with broad coverage across the Aedes aegypti genome, development of multiplex-ready PCR groups of microsatellite loci, and validation of their utility for population analysis with field collections from Haiti. RESULTS: From 79 putative microsatellite loci representing 31 motifs identified in 42 whole genome sequence supercontig assemblies in the Aedes aegypti genome, 33 microsatellites providing genome-wide coverage amplified as single copy sequences in four lab strains, with a range of 2-6 alleles per locus. The tri-nucleotide motifs represented the majority (51%) of the polymorphic single copy loci, and none of these was located within a putative open reading frame. Seven groups of 4-5 microsatellite loci each were developed for multiplex-ready PCR. Four multiplex-ready groups were used to investigate population genetics of Aedes aegypti populations sampled in Haiti. Of the 23 loci represented in these groups, 20 were polymorphic with a range of 3-24 alleles per locus (mean = 8.75). Allelic polymorphic information content varied from 0.171 to 0.867 (mean = 0.545). Most loci met Hardy-Weinberg expectations across populations and pairwise FST comparisons identified significant genetic differentiation between some populations. No evidence for genetic isolation by distance was observed. CONCLUSION: Despite limited success in previous reports, we demonstrate that the Aedes aegypti genome is well-populated with single copy, polymorphic microsatellite loci that can be uncovered using the strategy developed here for rapid and efficient screening of genome supercontig assemblies. These loci are suitable for genetic and population studies using multiplex-PCR.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the complete acetylcholinesterase gene (Ace1) from the mosquito Aedes aegypti with implications for comparative genome analysis.

Insensitive acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been shown to be responsible for resistance to organophosphates and carbamates in a number of arthropod species. Some arthropod genomes contain a single Ace gene, while others including mosquitoes contain two genes, but only one confers insecticide resistance. Here we report the isolation of the full-length cDNA and characterization of the complete genomic DNA sequence for the Ace1 gene in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The Ace1 homolog in other mosquito species has been associated with insecticide resistance. The full-length cDNA consists of 2721bp and contains a 2109bp open reading frame that encodes a 702 amino acid protein. The amino acid sequence is highly conserved with that of other mosquitoes, including greater than 90% identity with Culex spp. and about 80% identity with Anopheles gambiae. The genomic DNA sequence includes 138,970bp and consists of eight exons with seven introns ranging from 59 to 114,350bp. Exons 2 and 8 show reduced amino acid conservation across mosquito species, while exons 3-7 are highly conserved. The Ace1 introns in Ae. aegypti reflect a high frequency of repetitive sequences that comprise about 45% of the total intron sequence. The Ace1 locus maps to the p-arm of chromosome 3, which corresponds to the orthologous genome regions in Culex spp. and An. gambiae.

Isolation and characterization of the RanGAP gene in the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

A duplicated 3'-truncated version of RanGAP was previously identified as Segregation distorter (Sd), the meiotic drive gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the complete gene sequence for the RanGAP homolog from the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The 1995 bp cDNA sequence consists of a 113 bp 5' UTR and 130 bp 3' UTR, and encodes a 583 amino acid protein with high sequence identity with RanGAP homologues of several species. A 20,125 bp genomic DNA sequence contains the complete RanGAP gene, consisting of three exons and two introns. Intron 2 comprises 18,082 bp and contains multiple repetitive elements as well as putative coding regions. The RanGAP locus was mapped to the q-arm of chromosome 2. Because the meiotic drive gene (M(D)) in A. aegypti was previously shown to be tightly linked with the sex determining locus on chromosome 1, RanGAP is likely not the M(D) gene.

Mitotic-chromosome-based physical mapping of the Culex quinquefasciatus genome.

The genome assembly of southern house mosquito Cx. quinquefasciatus is represented by a high number of supercontigs with no order or orientation on the chromosomes. Although cytogenetic maps for the polytene chromosomes of this mosquito have been developed, their utilization for the genome mapping remains difficult because of the low number of high-quality spreads in chromosome preparations. Therefore, a simple and robust mitotic-chromosome-based approach for the genome mapping of Cx. quinquefasciatus still needs to be developed. In this study, we performed physical mapping of 37 genomic supercontigs using fluorescent in situ hybridization on mitotic chromosomes from imaginal discs of 4th instar larvae. The genetic linkage map nomenclature was adopted for the chromosome numbering based on the direct positioning of 58 markers that were previously genetically mapped. The smallest, largest, and intermediate chromosomes were numbered as 1, 2, and 3, respectively. For idiogram development, we analyzed and described in detail the morphology and proportions of the mitotic chromosomes. Chromosomes were subdivided into 19 divisions and 72 bands of four different intensities. These idiograms were used for mapping the genomic supercontigs/genetic markers. We also determined the presence of length polymorphism in the q arm of sex-determining chromosome 1 in Cx. quinquefasciatus related to the size of ribosomal locus. Our physical mapping and previous genetic linkage mapping resulted in the chromosomal assignment of 13% of the total genome assembly to the chromosome bands. We provided the first detailed description, nomenclature, and idiograms for the mitotic chromosomes of Cx. quinquefasciatus. Further application of the approach developed in this study will help to improve the quality of the southern house mosquito genome.

An integrated linkage, chromosome, and genome map for the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti.

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is an efficient vector of arboviruses and a convenient model system for laboratory research. Extensive linkage mapping of morphological and molecular markers localized a number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to the mosquito's ability to transmit various pathogens. However, linking the QTLs to Ae. aegypti chromosomes and genomic sequences has been challenging because of the poor quality of polytene chromosomes and the highly fragmented genome assembly for this species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Based on the approach developed in our previous study, we constructed idiograms for mitotic chromosomes of Ae. aegypti based on their banding patterns at early metaphase. These idiograms represent the first cytogenetic map developed for mitotic chromosomes of Ae. aegypti. One hundred bacterial artificial chromosome clones carrying major genetic markers were hybridized to the chromosomes using fluorescent in situ hybridization. As a result, QTLs related to the transmission of the filarioid nematode Brugia malayi, the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum, and the dengue virus, as well as sex determination locus and 183 Mbp of genomic sequences were anchored to the exact positions on Ae. aegypti chromosomes. A linear regression analysis demonstrated a good correlation between positions of the markers on the physical and linkage maps. As a result of the recombination rate variation along the chromosomes, 12 QTLs on the linkage map were combined into five major clusters of QTLs on the chromosome map. CONCLUSION: This study developed an integrated linkage, chromosome, and genome map-iMap-for the yellow fever mosquito. Our discovery of the localization of multiple QTLs in a few major chromosome clusters suggests a possibility that the transmission of various pathogens is controlled by the same genomic loci. Thus, the iMap will facilitate the identification of genomic determinants of traits responsible for susceptibility or refractoriness of the mosquito to diverse pathogens.

Comparative expression profiles of midgut genes in dengue virus refractory and susceptible Aedes aegypti across critical period for virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is the primary mosquito vector for dengue virus (DENV) worldwide. Infectivity of dengue virus varies among natural populations of this mosquito. How A. aegypti responds to DENV infection relative to which genes and associated pathways contribute to its differential susceptibility as a vector is not well defined. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used custom cDNA microarrays to identify groups of genes that were differentially expressed in midgut tissues between susceptible and refractory strains in a highly time specific manner. While genes involved in protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, mRNA surveillance, and the proteasome were significantly up-regulated in the susceptible strain, several metabolic processes including glycolysis, glycan biosynthesis and Wnt pathway were active in the refractory strain. In addition, several key signaling genes were expressed as common responsive genes in both susceptible and refractory mosquitoes that may be necessary for signal transduction to trigger the appropriate host response to the viral infection. These are coordinately expressed in the form of tight gene networks and expression clusters that may be necessary to differentially contribute to the progression of dengue infection between the two strains. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that highly correlated differential expression of responsive genes throughout the post infection period in A. aegypti midgut tissues is necessary for a coordinated transcriptional response of the mosquito genes to host or defend the viral infection.

Enhancing genome investigations in the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus via BAC library construction and characterization.

BACKGROUND: Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) is a major species in the Culex pipiens complex and an important vector for several human pathogens including West Nile virus and parasitic filarial nematodes causing lymphatic filariasis. It is common throughout tropical and subtropical regions and is among the most geographically widespread mosquito species. Although the complete genome sequence is now available, additional genomic tools are needed to improve the sequence assembly. FINDINGS: We constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library using the pIndigoBAC536 vector and HindIII partially digested DNA isolated from Cx. quinquefasciatus pupae, Johannesburg strain (NDJ). Insert size was estimated by NotI digestion and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of 82 randomly selected clones. To estimate genome coverage, each 384-well plate was pooled for screening with 29 simple sequence repeat (SSR) and five gene markers. The NDJ library consists of 55,296 clones arrayed in 144 384-well microplates. Fragment insert size ranged from 50 to 190 kb in length (mean = 106 kb). Based on a mean insert size of 106 kb and a genome size of 579 Mbp, the BAC library provides ~10.1-fold coverage of the Cx. quinquefasciatus genome. PCR screening of BAC DNA plate pools for SSR loci from the genetic linkage map and for four genes associated with reproductive diapause in Culex pipiens resulted in a mean of 9.0 positive plate pools per locus. CONCLUSION: The NDJ library represents an excellent resource for genome assembly enhancement and characterization in Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes.

Global cross-talk of genes of the mosquito Aedes aegypti in response to dengue virus infection.

BACKGROUND: The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue virus (DENV) infection in humans, and DENV is the most important arbovirus across most of the subtropics and tropics worldwide. The early time periods after infection with DENV define critical cellular processes that determine ultimate success or failure of the virus to establish infection in the mosquito. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify genes involved in these processes, we performed genome-wide transcriptome profiling between susceptible and refractory A. aegypti strains at two critical early periods after challenging them with DENV. Genes that responded coordinately to DENV infection in the susceptible strain were largely clustered in one specific expression module, whereas in the refractory strain they were distributed in four distinct modules. The susceptible response module in the global transcriptional network showed significant biased representation with genes related to energy metabolism and DNA replication, whereas the refractory response modules showed biased representation across different metabolism pathway genes including cytochrome P450 and DDT [1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane] degradation genes, and genes associated with cell growth and death. A common core set of coordinately expressed genes was observed in both the susceptible and refractory mosquitoes and included genes related to the Wnt (Wnt: wingless [wg] and integration 1 [int1] pathway), MAPK (Mitogen-activated protein kinase), mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) and JAK-STAT (Janus Kinase - Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription) pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed extensive transcriptional networks of mosquito genes that are expressed in modular manners in response to DENV infection, and indicated that successfully defending against viral infection requires more elaborate gene networks than hosting the virus. These likely play important roles in the global-cross talk among the mosquito host factors during the critical early DENV infection periods that trigger the appropriate host action in susceptible vs. refractory mosquitoes.

Complete sequences of mitochondria genomes of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus and comparative analysis of mitochondrial DNA fragments inserted in the nuclear genomes.

We present complete sequences of the mitochondrial genomes for two important mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, that are major vectors of dengue virus and lymphatic filariasis, respectively. The A. aegypti mitochondrial genome is 16,655 bp in length and that of C. quinquefasciatus is 15,587 bp, yet both contain 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, one 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, one 16S rRNA gene and a control region (CR) in the same order. The difference in the genome size is due to the difference in the length of the control region. We also analyzed insertions of nuclear copies of mtDNA-like sequences (NUMTs) in a comparative manner between the two mosquitoes. The NUMT sequences occupy ~0.008% of the A. aegypti genome and ~0.001% of the C. quinquefasciatus genome. Several NUMTs were found localized in the introns of predicted protein coding genes in both genomes (32 genes in A. aegypti but only four in C. quinquefasciatus). None of these NUMT-containing genes had an ortholog between the two species or had paralogous copies within a genome that was also NUMT-containing. It was further observed that the NUMT-containing genes were relatively longer but had lower GC content compared to the NUMT-less paralogous copies. Moreover, stretches of homologies are present among the genic and non-genic NUMTs that may play important roles in genomic rearrangement of NUMTs in these genomes. Our study provides new insights on understanding the roles of nuclear mtDNA sequences in genome complexities of these mosquitoes.

Genome-based microsatellite development in the Culex pipiens complex and comparative microsatellite frequency with Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae.

BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes in the Culex pipiens complex are among the most medically important vectors for human disease worldwide and include major vectors for lymphatic filariasis and West Nile virus transmission. However, detailed genetic studies in the complex are limited by the number of genetic markers available. Here, we describe methods for the rapid and efficient identification and development of single locus, highly polymorphic microsatellite markers for Cx. pipiens complex mosquitoes via in silico screening of the Cx. quinquefasciatus genome sequence. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Six lab colonies representing four Cx. pipiens and two Cx. quinquefasciatus populations were utilized for preliminary assessment of 38 putative loci identified within 16 Cx. quinquefasciatus supercontig assemblies (CpipJ1) containing previously mapped genetic marker sequences. We identified and validated 12 new microsatellite markers distributed across all three linkage groups that amplify consistently among strains representing the complex. We also developed four groups of 3-5 microsatellite loci each for multiplex-ready PCR. Field collections from three cities in Indiana were used to assess the multiplex groups for their application to natural populations. All were highly polymorphic (Mean  = 13.0 alleles) per locus and reflected high polymorphism information content (PIC) (Mean  = 0.701). Pairwise F(ST) indicated population structuring between Terre Haute and Fort Wayne and between Terre Haute and Indianapolis, but not between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. In addition, we performed whole genome comparisons of microsatellite motifs and abundance between Cx. quinquefasciatus and the primary vectors for dengue virus and malaria parasites, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate a systematic approach for isolation and validation of microsatellites for the Cx. pipiens complex by direct screen of the Cx. quinquefasciatus genome supercontig assemblies. The genome density of microsatellites is greater in Cx. quinquefasciatus (0.26%) than in Ae. aegypti (0.14%), but considerably lower than in An. gambiae (0.77%).

Analysis of 14 BAC sequences from the Aedes aegypti genome: a benchmark for genome annotation and assembly.

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of yellow fever and dengue viruses throughout the tropical world. To provide a set of manually curated and annotated sequences from the Ae. aegypti genome, 14 mapped bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones encompassing 1.57 Mb were sequenced, assembled and manually annotated using a combination of computational gene-finding, expressed sequence tag (EST) matches and comparative protein homology. PCR and sequencing were used to experimentally confirm expression and sequence of a subset of these transcripts. RESULTS: Of the 51 manual annotations, 50 and 43 demonstrated a high level of similarity to Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster genes, respectively. Ten of the 12 BAC sequences with more than one annotated gene exhibited synteny with the A. gambiae genome. Putative transcripts from eight BAC clones were found in multiple copies (two copies in most cases) in the Aedes genome assembly, which point to the probable presence of haplotype polymorphisms and/or misassemblies. CONCLUSION: This study not only provides a benchmark set of manually annotated transcripts for this genome that can be used to assess the quality of the auto-annotation pipeline and the assembly, but it also looks at the effect of a high repeat content on the genome assembly and annotation pipeline.

Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector.

We present a draft sequence of the genome of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector for yellow fever and dengue fever, which at approximately 1376 million base pairs is about 5 times the size of the genome of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Nearly 50% of the Ae. aegypti genome consists of transposable elements. These contribute to a factor of approximately 4 to 6 increase in average gene length and in sizes of intergenic regions relative to An. gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster. Nonetheless, chromosomal synteny is generally maintained among all three insects, although conservation of orthologous gene order is higher (by a factor of approximately 2) between the mosquito species than between either of them and the fruit fly. An increase in genes encoding odorant binding, cytochrome P450, and cuticle domains relative to An. gambiae suggests that members of these protein families underpin some of the biological differences between the two mosquito species.