Culex quinquefasciatus transcriptional response to Plasmodium relictum

Our project investigates transcriptional responses of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes to Plasmodium relictum, a widespread avian malaria parasite involved in species extinction and endangerment in the Hawaiian Islands. Individual mosquito transcriptomes were sequenced using Illumina RNA-seq of five infected and three uninfected individuals at three different stages of the parasite life cycle: during ookinete invasion of the midgut 24 h post-feeding (24 hpf); during early-mid development of oocysts 5 days post-feeding (5 dpf); and when sporozoites are released and invade the vector salivary glands 10 dpf. Our study is the first to analyze non-Anopheles transcriptome responses to Plasmodium, and will allow comparisons between mammalian and avian malaria systems.