%0 Journal Article
%T A Critical Role for CLSP2 in the Modulation of Antifungal Immune Response in Mosquitoes
%A Yan-Hong Wang&nbsp
%A Yang Hu&nbsp
%A Long-Sheng Xing&nbsp
%A Hong Jiang&nbsp
%A Song-Nian Hu&nbsp
%A Alexander S. Raikhel&nbsp
%A Zhen Zou
%J PLOS Pathogens
%D 2015
%I Public Library of Science (PLoS)
%R 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004931
%X Entomopathogenic fungi represent a promising class of bio-insecticides for mosquito control. Thus, detailed knowledge of the molecular mechanisms governing anti-fungal immune response in mosquitoes is essential. In this study, we show that CLSP2 is a modulator of immune responses during anti-fungal infection in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. With a fungal infection, the expression of the CLSP2 gene is elevated. CLSP2 is cleaved upon challenge with Beauveria bassiana conidia, and the liberated CLSP2 CTL-type domain binds to fungal cell components and B. bassiana conidia. Furthermore, CLPS2 RNA interference silencing significantly increases the resistance to the fungal challenge. RNA-sequencing transcriptome analysis showed that the majority of immune genes were highly upregulated in the CLSP2-depleted mosquitoes infected with the fungus. The up-regulated immune gene cohorts belong to melanization and Toll pathways, but not to the IMD or JAK-STAT. A thioester-containing protein (TEP22), a member of ¦Á2-macroglobulin family, has been implicated in the CLSP2-modulated mosquito antifungal defense. Our study has contributed to a greater understanding of immune-modulating mechanisms in mosquitoes.
%U http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1004931