Yang Zhongxia, Statler Bethanie-Michelle, Calkins Travis L, Alfaro Edna, Esquivel Carlos J, Rouhier Matthew F, Denton Jerod S, Piermarini Peter M
College of Plant Protection, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biology and Control of Plant Diseases and Pests, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China; Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States.
Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2017 Feb;204:35-44. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Nov 9.
Inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels play fundamental roles in neuromuscular, epithelial, and endocrine function in mammals. Recent research in insects suggests that Kir channels play critical roles in the development, immune function, and excretory physiology of fruit flies and/or mosquitoes. Moreover, our group has demonstrated that mosquito Kir channels may serve as valuable targets for the development of novel insecticides. Here we characterize the molecular expression of 5 mRNAs encoding Kir channel subunits in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti: Kir1, Kir2A-c, Kir2B, Kir2B', and Kir3. We demonstrate that 1) Kir mRNA expression is dynamic in whole mosquitoes, Malpighian tubules, and the midgut during development from 4th instar larvae to adult females, 2) Kir2B and Kir3 mRNA levels are reduced in 4th instar larvae when reared in water containing an elevated concentration (50mM) of KCl, but not NaCl, and 3) Kir mRNAs are differentially expressed in the Malpighian tubules, midgut, and ovaries within 24h after blood feeding. Furthermore, we provide the first characterization of Kir mRNA expression in the anal papillae of 4th instar larval mosquitoes, which indicates that Kir2A-c is the most abundant. Altogether, the data provide the first comprehensive characterization of Kir mRNA expression in Ae. aegypti and offer insights into the putative physiological roles of Kir subunits in this important disease vector.
内向整流钾（Kir）通道在哺乳动物的神经肌肉、上皮和内分泌功能中发挥着重要作用。最近对昆虫的研究表明，Kir通道在果蝇和/或蚊子的发育、免疫功能及排泄生理学中起着关键作用。此外，我们团队已证明蚊子的Kir通道可能是新型杀虫剂开发的有价值靶点。在此，我们对黄热病蚊子埃及伊蚊中编码Kir通道亚基的5种mRNA的分子表达进行了表征：Kir1、Kir2A-c、Kir2B、Kir2B'和Kir3。我们证明：1）在从四龄幼虫发育至成年雌性的过程中，Kir mRNA在整个蚊子、马氏管和中肠中的表达是动态的；2）在含有高浓度（50mM）KCl而非NaCl的水中饲养的四龄幼虫中，Kir2B和Kir3 mRNA水平降低；3）在吸血后24小时内，Kir mRNA在马氏管、中肠和卵巢中的表达存在差异。此外，我们首次对四龄幼虫蚊子的肛乳突中Kir mRNA的表达进行了表征，结果表明Kir2A-c最为丰富。总之，这些数据首次全面表征了埃及伊蚊中Kir mRNA的表达，并为Kir亚基在这种重要病媒中的假定生理作用提供了见解。
