Cloning and characterization of cDNAs preferentially expressed in the ovary of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.

We used differential screening to isolate from an ovarian cDNA library two expressed sequences that are enriched substantially in ovaries of blood-fed female Anopheles gambiae, as compared to female carcass and male mosquitoes. One of these clones encodes an isoform of histone H2B, whose transcript is polyadenylated at the 3' end. The other cDNA clone encodes a protein that is highly conserved in evolution and has been implicated in growth control although its function is still obscure. Both genes can be used to study gene activation during An. gambiae oogenesis.