University of California, San Diego: Researchers Announce Detailed Genome of Invading Malaria Mosquitoes | Education, Education News in India India, Education News

Despite the widespread knowledge of sharks, snakes, scorpions and other formidable creatures, mosquitoes continue to be the deadliest animals on the planet … much more. Mosquito-borne malaria is the world’s number one vector murderer of vector diseases, killing more than 400,000 people in 2019.

Scientists need complex knowledge of the vector mosquito genome to design advanced defenses against malaria infections, such as targeted CRISPR and gene drive-based strategies.

Mahul Chakraborty, a project scientist at the University of California, Irvine, collaborates with the University of California, San Diego, the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) in India, and colleagues at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology in Bangalore, India. A groundbreaking new reference genome for the vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi. The full details of the genome, which scientists say is comparable to the best animal genomes currently available in science (humans and fruit flies), can be found in the journal BMC Biology.

“Anopheles stephensi is a major malaria vector mosquito in urban areas of South Asia and recently invaded the Horn of Africa. It is predicted to be the major urban malaria vector in Africa, with 126 million people in Africa. People are at risk, “said Ethanbia, a prominent professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Science at the University of California, San Diego. “The new genome assembly is a comprehensive and accurate map of genomic functional elements and serves as the basis for a new era of active genetics in An. Stefancy. This smoothly linked collaboration is a multi-UC initiative. It highlights the benefits and values ​​of. “

With the newly upgraded Anopheles stephensi genome, Chakraborty and colleagues unearthed over 3,000 genes that previously avoided scrutiny. The newly revealed genes provide a target for fresh gene drives and play important roles in blood sampling and ingested blood meal metabolism, reproduction, and immunity to microbial parasites.

The findings include 29 previously undetected genes that play an important role in resistance to chemical pesticides. This is a development that helps the urgency to deal with the growing Asian and African An. A stephensi population with pesticide resistance mutations. The findings also provide clues to suggest that the molecular basis of pesticide resistance may vary by gender.

“This study supports basic research on genome evolution and informs strategies aimed at eliminating one of the world’s long-standing disease tragedy,” said UCI’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Associate Professor JJ Emerson, co-author of the paper, said. “In summary, these results and resources underscore the importance of previously hidden genomic elements in malaria mosquito biology and accelerate the development of genetic control strategies for malaria infection.”

Researchers have also reconstructed the complex and previously cumbersome DNA sequences of the Y sex chromosome to reveal genes involved in male development and active selfish genetic elements that parasitize the genome alone in males. .. The authors found that previously invisible mobile genetic elements act as important sources of this type of genetic novelty, as substrates for the production of structural variants, and as raw materials for adaptation to chemical pesticides. Indicates to provide.

“This reference genome and its superior quality should help malaria biologists in India and other countries, especially given the national goal of eradicating malaria in India by 2030,” said Suresh Subramani, TIGS Global Director. Says. Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California, San Diego.

The full list of authors for the report includes Mahul Chakraborty, Arunachalam Ramaiah, Adriana Adolfi, Paige Halas, Bhagyashree Kaduskar, Luna Thanh Ngo, Suvratha Jayaprasad, Kiran Paul, Saurabh Whadgar, Subhashini Srinivasan, Suresh Subramani, Ethan Bier. ..

Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health (Grants K99GM129411, R01GM123303-1 and R01 GM117321), Paul G. Allen Frontier Group Research Fellowship Award, TIGS-UC San Diego and TIGS-India.