Liao Yunfei, Islam Touhid, Noorai Rooksana, Streich Jared, Saski Christopher, Cohnstaedt Lee W, Cooper Elizabeth A
Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Bioinformatics Research and Services, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, USA.
Genome Biol Evol. 2025 Jul 30;17(8). doi: 10.1093/gbe/evaf143.
The increasing prevalence of vector-borne diseases around the world highlights the pressing need for an in-depth exploration of the genetic and environmental factors that shape the adaptability and widespread distribution of mosquito populations. This research focuses on Culex tarsalis, a principal vector for various viral diseases including West Nile Virus. Through the development of a new reference genome and the examination of Restriction-Site Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) data from over 300 individuals and 28 locations, we demonstrate that variables such as temperature, evaporation rates, and the density of vegetation significantly impact the genetic makeup of Cx. tarsalis populations. Among the alleles most strongly associated with environmental factors is a nonsynonymous mutation in a key gene related to circadian rhythms. These results offer new insights into the mechanisms of spread and adaptation in a key North American vector species, which is poised to become a growing health threat to both humans and animals in the face of ongoing climate change.
全球范围内病媒传播疾病的患病率不断上升，凸显了深入探索塑造蚊虫种群适应性和广泛分布的遗传及环境因素的迫切需求。本研究聚焦于致倦库蚊，它是包括西尼罗河病毒在内的多种病毒性疾病的主要病媒。通过开发新的参考基因组，并对来自28个地点的300多个个体的限制性位点相关DNA测序（RAD-seq）数据进行检测，我们证明温度、蒸发率和植被密度等变量会显著影响致倦库蚊种群的基因组成。与环境因素关联最紧密的等位基因中，有一个与昼夜节律相关的关键基因发生了非同义突变。这些结果为一种关键的北美病媒物种的传播和适应机制提供了新见解，面对持续的气候变化，该物种对人类和动物的健康威胁正日益增大。
