Expression profiling of hemocytes from Anopheles gambiae after malaria parasite infection

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 if and to what degree circulating hemocytes have altered global expression profiles after infection with the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei Hemocytes were isolated 24-28h after infection using the infectious EGFP-CON P. berghei strain (experiment) or an invasion-deficient, Circumsporozoite- and TRAP-related protein (CTRP) knockout strain with the same genetic background as GFP-CON (CTRPko/GFP, control).