Voltage-gated ion channels are expressed in the Malpighian tubules of larval Aedes aegypti

Vectors of infectious disease include several species of Aedes mosquitoes. The life cycle of Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, consists of a terrestrial adult and an aquatic larval life stage. Developing in coastal waters can expose larvae to fluctuating salinity, causing salt and water imbalance, which is addressed by the Malpighian tubules (MTs). Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) have recently been implicated in the regulation of ion transport in the osmoregulatory epithelia of insects. In the current study, we generated MT transcriptomes of freshwater-acclimated and brackish water-exposed larvae of Ae. aegypti, detected expression of several voltage-gated ion channels in the MTs using transcriptomics, and followed up with more methodology on the VGICs that were expressed in the MTs.