03; KS test) (Figure 2F, G) A summary of these results is shown

03; KS test) (Figure 2F, G). A summary of these results is shown in Table 1. Figure 2 Effect of silencing several An. gambiae (G3) genes on parasite P. falciparum infection. Effect of silencing arginine kinase (ArgK) (Panel A), heat shock cognate 3 (Hsc-3) (Panel B), solute transporter (Sol. Trsp.) (Panel C), glutathione-S-transferase theta-1 (GSTT1) (Panel D), oxidation resistance gene 1 (OXR1) (Panel E) tetraspanin (Tetrasp.) (Panel F), and glutathione-S-transferase theta-2 (GSTT2) (Panel G) on P. falciparum infection. The number of P. falciparum oocysts

present was determined by directly counting mercurochrome-stained parasites 7–8 days post infection. The dots represent the number Apoptosis inhibitor of parasites present on individual midguts, and the median number of oocysts is indicated by the horizontal line. Distributions are compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test; n = number of mosquitoes; P values lower than 0.05 are considered to be significantly different. Silencing ArgK, Sol. Trsp., and tetraspanin genes has a similar effect on P. berghei and P. falciparum infection. ArgK is a key enzyme in cellular energy homeostasis in arthropods, with a function similar GSK2126458 cell line to that of creatine kinase in mammals. This enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of phosphoarginine, which serves as an energy

reserve. The high-energy phosphate in phosphoarginine can be transferred to ADP to renew ATP during periods of high energy demand [13]. Apparently, silencing this enzyme results in a physiologic state in the mosquito that does not foster the development of either P. berghei or P. falciparum. Silencing of the solute transporter has no effect, while knockdown of tetraspanin enhances infection with both parasites. Tetraspanins Rapamycin mw are proteins with four transmembrane (TM) domains that are associated extensively with one another and with other membrane proteins to form specific microdomains distinct from lipid rafts. They are expressed on the surface of numerous cell types and are involved in diverse processes from cell adhesion to signal transduction and some of them inhibit the function of other members of the same family of proteins

[14]. CD81 is a tetraspanin that has been shown to be required for hepatocyte invasion by P. falciparum and P. yoelii sporozoites [15]. Silencing of the An. gambiae tetraspanin gene may enhance parasite invasion and/or prevent the activation of an immune cascade that limits infection with P. berghei and P. falciparum. OXR1, GSTT1, GSTT2 and Hsc-3 silencing has a different effect on P. berghei and P. falciparum infection. In yeast and mammals, OXR1 is induced by heat and oxidative stress and prevents oxidative damage by an unknown mechanism [16]. In An. gambiae, OXR1 silencing decreases resistance to oxidative challenge and prevents the induction of genes involved in ROS detoxification, such as catalase, following a blood meal (G. Jaramillo-Gutierrez and C. Barillas-Mury, unpublished). We have previously shown that higher ROS levels in An.

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