Novel Asaia bogorensis signal sequences for Plasmodium inhibition in Anopheles stephensi

Mosquitoes vector many pathogens that cause human disease, such as malaria that is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium. Current strategies to control vector-transmitted diseases are hindered by mosquito and pathogen resistance, so research has turned to altering the microbiota of the vectors. In this strategy, called paratransgenesis, symbiotic bacteria are genetically modified to affect the mosquito’s phenotype by engineering them to deliver antiplasmodial effector molecules into the midgut to kill parasites. One paratransgenesis candidate is Asaia bogorensis, a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium colonizing the midgut, ovaries, and salivary glands of Anopheles sp. mosquitoes. However, common secretion signals from E. coli and closely-related species do not function in Asaia. Here, we report evaluation of 20 native Asaia N-terminal signal sequences predicted from bioinformatics for their ability to mediate increased levels of antiplasmodial effector molecules directed to the pe...蚊虫可携带多种引发人类疾病的病原体，例如由疟原虫属（Plasmodium）寄生虫引发的疟疾。当前防控虫媒传播疾病的策略因蚊虫与病原体产生抗药性而受阻，因此研究转向改造媒介生物的微生物群。该策略被称为副转基因技术（paratransgenesis），即通过基因工程改造共生细菌，使其向蚊虫中肠递送抗疟效应分子以杀灭寄生虫，从而改变蚊虫表型。候选的副转基因菌株之一是Asaia bogorensis，这是一种革兰氏阴性（Gram-negative）杆状细菌，可定殖于按蚊属（Anopheles sp.）蚊虫的中肠、卵巢与唾液腺中。然而，大肠杆菌（E. coli）及其近缘物种的常见分泌信号在该菌中无法发挥功能。本研究对通过生物信息学（bioinformatics）预测得到的20个Asaia内源N端信号序列进行了评估，以考察其介导靶向……的抗疟效应分子表达量提升的能力。