Phagocytosis in mosquito immune responses.
Anopheles mosquitoes are the only vectors of human malaria parasites. Mosquito-parasite interactions are critical for disease transmission and therefore are a potential target for malaria control strategies. Mosquitoes mount potent immune responses that efficiently limit proliferation of a variety of infectious agents, including microbial pathogens and malaria parasites. The recent completion of the Anopheles gambiae genome sequencing project combined with the development of the powerful RNA interference-based gene silencing helped to identify major players of the immune defenses and uncovered evolutionarily conserved mechanisms in the anti-bacterial and anti-Plasmodium responses. The anti-bacterial responses are based on phagocytosis at early steps of infections, followed, several hours later, by the synthesis of anti-microbial peptides. The principal regulators of anti-parasitic responses are predominantly synthesized by the mosquito blood cells; however, the exact molecular mechanisms of parasite killing remain unclear. Several regulators of phagocytosis are also required for efficient parasite killing. Here, we summarize our current knowledge of the anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic responses, with the particular emphasis on the role of phagocytosis in mosquito immunity.
Blandin
Stephanie A
SA
Institut de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS, INSERM, Strasbourg, France.
Levashina
Elena A
EA
D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure