Expression profiling of different adult female tissues isolated from Anopheles gambiae females

Insect hemocytes mediate important cellular immune responses including phagocytosis and encapsulation, and also secrete immune factors such as opsonins, melanization factors, and antimicrobial peptides. In Anopheles, they contribute to the defense against malaria parasite invasion during the early sporogonic cycle. We used microarrays to identify transcripts that are specific or enriched in circulating hemocytes compared to either neuronal or to the rest of the body. Hemocytes, heads and carcasses were isolated from naïve adult females 1-2 days after eclosion.