title: Damage-Induced Cell Regeneration in the Midgut of Aedes albopictus Mosquitoes.
abstract: Mosquito-transmitted diseases cause over one million deaths every year. A better characterization of the vector's physiology and immunity should provide valuable knowledge for the elaboration of control strategies. Mosquitoes depend on their innate immunity to defend themselves against pathogens. These pathogens are acquired mainly through the oral route, which places the insects' gut at the front line of the battle. Indeed, the epithelium of the mosquito gut plays important roles against invading pathogens acting as a physical barrier, activating local defenses and triggering the systemic immune response. Therefore, the gut is constantly confronted to stress and often suffers cellular damage. In this study, we show that dividing cells exist in the digestive tract of adult A. albopictus and that these cells proliferate in the midgut after bacterial or chemical damage. An increased transcription of signaling molecules that regulate the EGFR and JAK/STAT pathways was also observed, suggesting a possible involvement of these pathways in the regeneration of damaged guts. This work provides evidence for the presence of regenerative cells in the mosquito guts, and paves the way towards a molecular and cellular characterization of the processes required to maintain mosquito's midgut homeostasis in both normal and infectious conditions.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janeh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences III and Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and its Applications, LBA3B, EDST, Lebanese University, 1300, Tripoli, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Dani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Zakaria
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kambris
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D002455:Cell Division; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D012038:Regeneration; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D066246:ErbB Receptors