Natural malaria infection in Anopheles gambiae is regulated by a single genomic control region.
We surveyed an Anopheles gambiae population in a West African malaria transmission zone for naturally occurring genetic loci that control mosquito infection with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The strongest Plasmodium resistance loci cluster in a small region of chromosome 2L and each locus explains at least 89% of parasite-free mosquitoes in independent pedigrees. Together, the clustered loci form a genomic Plasmodium-resistance island that explains most of the genetic variation for malaria parasite infection of mosquitoes in nature. Among the candidate genes in this chromosome region, RNA interference knockdown assays confirm a role in Plasmodium resistance for Anopheles Plasmodium-responsive leucine-rich repeat 1 (APL1), encoding a leucine-rich repeat protein that is similar to molecules involved in natural pathogen resistance mechanisms in plants and mammals.
Riehle
Michelle M
MM
Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics and Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
Markianos
Kyriacos
K
Niaré
Oumou
O
Xu
Jiannong
J
Li
Jun
J
Touré
Abdoulaye M
AM
Podiougou
Belco
B
Oduol
Frederick
F
Diawara
Sory
S
Diallo
Mouctar
M
Coulibaly
Boubacar
B
Ouatara
Ahmed
A
Kruglyak
Leonid
L
Traoré
Sékou F
SF
Vernick
Kenneth D
KD
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049750:Genome, Insect; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D034622:RNA Interference
D019476:Insect Proteins