The genome of Anopheles darlingi, the main neotropical malaria vector
Marinotti, Osvaldo ; Wespiser, Adam R. ; Caffrey, Daniel R. ; Golenbock, Douglas T. ; Silverman, Neal
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Keywords
Anopheles
Brazil
Chromosomes, Insect
DNA Transposable Elements
Evolution, Molecular
Female
Genetic Variation
*Genome, Insect
Host-Parasite Interactions
Insect Proteins
Insect Vectors
Insecticide Resistance
Insecticides
Malaria
Male
Molecular Sequence Annotation
Phylogeny
Synteny
Transcriptome
Computational Biology
Genetics and Genomics
Genomics
Immunology and Infectious Disease
Parasitic Diseases
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Abstract
Anopheles darlingi is the principal neotropical malaria vector, responsible for more than a million cases of malaria per year on the American continent. Anopheles darlingi diverged from the African and Asian malaria vectors approximately 100 million years ago (mya) and successfully adapted to the New World environment. Here we present an annotated reference A. darlingi genome, sequenced from a wild population of males and females collected in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 10 481 predicted protein-coding genes were annotated, 72% of which have their closest counterpart in Anopheles gambiae and 21% have highest similarity with other mosquito species. In spite of a long period of divergent evolution, conserved gene synteny was observed between A. darlingi and A. gambiae. More than 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and short indels with potential use as genetic markers were identified. Transposable elements correspond to 2.3% of the A. darlingi genome. Genes associated with hematophagy, immunity and insecticide resistance, directly involved in vector-human and vector-parasite interactions, were identified and discussed. This study represents the first effort to sequence the genome of a neotropical malaria vector, and opens a new window through which we can contemplate the evolutionary history of anopheline mosquitoes. It also provides valuable information that may lead to novel strategies to reduce malaria transmission on the South American continent. The A. darlingi genome is accessible at www.labinfo.lncc.br/index.php/anopheles-darlingi.
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Nucleic Acids Res. 2013 Aug;41(15):7387-400. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkt484. Link to article on publisher's site
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Full author list omitted for brevity. For the full list of authors, see article.