Genome-wide maps of chromatin state in pluripotent and lineage-committed cells.. Anopheles gambiae

Malaria infection renders humans more attractive to Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes than uninfected people. The mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that an isoprenoid precursor produced by Plasmodium falciparum, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP), affects A. gambiae s.l. blood meal seeking and feeding behaviors, as well as susceptibility to infection. HMBPP acts indirectly by triggering human red blood cells to increase the release of CO2, aldehydes, and monoterpenes, which together enhance vector attraction, and stimulate vector feeding. When offered in a blood meal, HMBPP modulates neural, antimalarial, and oogenic gene transcription without affecting mosquito survival or fecundity, while in a P. falciparum infected blood meal, sporogony is increased. Overall design: Differential expression was quantified from whole body of mosquitoes in biological triplicates at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hours post treatment with either RBCs or hmbRBCs.