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Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species
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Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Population and Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2023) | Viewed by 7388

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Anice Mureb Sallum

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, SP, Brazil
Interests: public health; ecology; entomology; malaria; vector-borne diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vector-borne diseases are responsible for approximately 17% of the global burden of communicable diseases and more than 700,000 deaths annually. Rapid urbanization, changes in land use patterns, increased international trade, and human movement worldwide have been associated with the intensification of pathogen transmission in endemic areas and the spread and outbreaks of vector-borne diseases in new regions, including temperate zones. As “the most dangerous animals in the world”, mosquitoes are fascinating, complex, and will likely always be with us. Across Culicidae, the diversity and heterogeneity of preferred “hosts” range from the hemolymph of insect species through amphibians and reptiles to birds and mammals. A few genera, such as Toxorhynchites, feed exclusively on nectar. What mechanisms are responsible for mosquito host choice? Spatiotemporal shifts in host-seeking, feeding, and resting behaviors have been documented, and recent progress includes the detection of a single underlying ancestral component linked to human preference in Aedes aegypti. Current and predicted rapid urbanization and concurrent land use change worldwide may push mosquito evolution in the direction of increased human biting. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: the evolution of host preference, mechanisms underlying host-seeking, mosquito genome structure, and maintenance of mosquito diversity.

Prof. Dr. Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • host preference
  • mosquito genomes
  • evolutionary history
  • rapid urbanization
  • mosquito diversity
  • multiple blood meals

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3943 KiB  
Article
Mutations Linked to Insecticide Resistance Not Detected in the Ace-1 or VGSC Genes in Nyssorhynchus darlingi from Multiple Localities in Amazonian Brazil and Peru
by Sara A. Bickersmith, John D. Jurczynski, Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Leonardo S. M. Chaves, Eduardo S. Bergo, Gloria A. D. Rodriguez, Clara A. Morante, Carlos T. Rios, Marlon P. Saavedra, Freddy Alava, Dionicia Gamboa, Joseph M. Vinetz and Jan E. Conn
Genes 2023, 14(10), 1892; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14101892 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 979
Abstract
Indoor residual spray (IRS), mainly employing pyrethroid insecticides, is the most common intervention for preventing malaria transmission in many regions of Latin America; the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) has been more limited. Knockdown resistance (kdr) is a well-characterized target-site [...] Read more.
Indoor residual spray (IRS), mainly employing pyrethroid insecticides, is the most common intervention for preventing malaria transmission in many regions of Latin America; the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) has been more limited. Knockdown resistance (kdr) is a well-characterized target-site resistance mechanism associated with pyrethroid and DDT resistance. Most mutations detected in acetylcholinesterase-1 (Ace-1) and voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) genes are non-synonymous, resulting in a change in amino acid, leading to the non-binding of the insecticide. In the present study, we analyzed target-site resistance in Nyssorhynchus darlingi, the primary malaria vector in the Amazon, in multiple malaria endemic localities. We screened 988 wild-caught specimens of Ny. darlingi from three localities in Amazonian Peru and four in Amazonian Brazil. Collections were conducted between 2014 and 2021. The criteria were Amazonian localities with a recent history as malaria hotspots, primary transmission by Ny. darlingi, and the use of both IRS and LLINs as interventions. Fragments of Ace-1 (456 bp) and VGSC (228 bp) were amplified, sequenced, and aligned with Ny. darlingi sequences available in GenBank. We detected only synonymous mutations in the frequently reported Ace-1 codon 280 known to confer resistance to organophosphates and carbamates, but detected three non-synonymous mutations in other regions of the gene. Similarly, no mutations linked to insecticide resistance were detected in the frequently reported codon (995) at the S6 segment of domain II of VGSC. The lack of genotypic detection of insecticide resistance mutations by sequencing the Ace-1 and VGSC genes from multiple Ny. darlingi populations in Brazil and Peru could be associated with low-intensity resistance, or possibly the main resistance mechanism is metabolic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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16 pages, 1294 KiB  
Article
Genetic Structuring of One of the Main Vectors of Sylvatic Yellow Fever: Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Diptera: Culicidae)
by Ramon Wilk-da-Silva, Antônio Ralph Medeiros-Sousa, Luis Filipe Mucci, Diego Peres Alonso, Marcus Vinicius Niz Alvarez, Paulo Eduardo Martins Ribolla and Mauro Toledo Marrelli
Genes 2023, 14(9), 1671; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14091671 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 830
Abstract
Genetic diversity and population structuring for the species Haemogogus leucocelaenus, a sylvatic vector of yellow fever virus, were found to vary with the degree of agricultural land use and isolation of fragments of Atlantic Forest in municipalities in the state of São [...] Read more.
Genetic diversity and population structuring for the species Haemogogus leucocelaenus, a sylvatic vector of yellow fever virus, were found to vary with the degree of agricultural land use and isolation of fragments of Atlantic Forest in municipalities in the state of São Paulo where specimens were collected. Genotyping of 115 mitochondrial SNPs showed that the populations with the highest indices of genetic diversity (polymorphic loci and mean pairwise differences between the sequences) are found in areas with high levels of agricultural land use (northeast of the State). Most populations exhibited statistically significant negative values for the Tajima D and Fu FS neutrality tests, suggesting recent expansion. The results show an association between genetic diversity in this species and the degree of agricultural land use in the sampled sites, as well as signs of population expansion of this species in most areas, particularly those with the highest forest edge densities. A clear association between population structuring and the distance between the sampled fragments (isolation by distance) was observed: samples from a large fragment of Atlantic Forest extending along the coast of the state of São Paulo exhibited greater similarity with each other than with populations in the northwest of the state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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17 pages, 1905 KiB  
Article
Phylogenetic Analysis of Some Species of the Anopheles hyrcanus Group (Diptera: Culicidae) in China Based on Complete Mitochondrial Genomes
by Haowei Dong, Hao Yuan, Xusong Yang, Wenqi Shan, Qiuming Zhou, Feng Tao, Chunyan Zhao, Jie Bai, Xiangyu Li, Yajun Ma and Heng Peng
Genes 2023, 14(7), 1453; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071453 - 16 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1091
Abstract
Some species of the Hyrcanus group are vectors of malaria in China. However, the member species are difficult to identify accurately by morphology. The development of sequencing technologies offers the possibility of further studies based on the complete mitochondrial genome. In this study, [...] Read more.
Some species of the Hyrcanus group are vectors of malaria in China. However, the member species are difficult to identify accurately by morphology. The development of sequencing technologies offers the possibility of further studies based on the complete mitochondrial genome. In this study, samples of mosquitoes of the Hyrcanus group were collected in China between 1997 and 2015. The mitochondrial genomes of ten species of the Hyrcanus group were analyzed, including the structure and base composition, codon usage, secondary structure of tRNA, and base difference sites in protein coding regions. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference were performed based on mitochondrial genes and complete mitochondrial genomes The mitochondrial genome of 10 Hyrcanus group members ranged from 15,403 bp to 15,475 bp, with an average 78.23% (A + T) content, comprising of 13 PCGs (protein coding genes), 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs. Site differences between some closely related species in the PCGs were small. There were only 36 variable sites between Anopheles sinensis and Anopheles belenrae for a variation ratio of 0.32% in all PCGs. The pairwise interspecies distance based on 13 PCGs was low, with an average of 0.04. A phylogenetic tree constructed with the 13 PCGs was consistent with the known evolutionary relationships. Some phylogenetic trees constructed by single coding regions (such as COI or ND4) or combined coding regions (COI + ND2 + ND4 + ND5 or ND2 + ND4) were consistent with the phylogenetic tree constructed using the 13 PCGs. The phylogenetic trees constructed using some coding genes (COII, ND5, tRNAs, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA) differed from the phylogenetic tree constructed using PCGs. The difference in mitochondrial genome sequences between An. sinensis and An. belenrae was very small, corresponding to intraspecies difference, suggesting that the species was in the process of differentiation. The combination of all 13 PCG sequences was demonstrated to be optimal for phylogenetic analysis in closely related species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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13 pages, 8772 KiB  
Article
Cryptic Diversity and Demographic Expansion of Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria Vectors in Malaysia
by Sandthya Pramasivan, Van Lun Low, Nantha Kumar Jeyaprakasam, Jonathan Wee Kent Liew, Romano Ngui and Indra Vythilingam
Genes 2023, 14(7), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14071369 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 989
Abstract
Although Malaysia is considered free of human malaria, there has been a growing number of Plasmodium knowlesi cases. This alarming trend highlighted the need for our understanding of this parasite and its associated vectors, especially considering the role of genetic diversity in the [...] Read more.
Although Malaysia is considered free of human malaria, there has been a growing number of Plasmodium knowlesi cases. This alarming trend highlighted the need for our understanding of this parasite and its associated vectors, especially considering the role of genetic diversity in the adaptation and evolution among vectors in endemic areas, which is currently a significant knowledge gap in their fundamental biology. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Anopheles balabacensis, Anopheles cracens, Anopheles introlatus, and Anopheles latens—the vectors for P. knowlesi malaria in Malaysia. Based on cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) markers, the genealogic networks of An. latens showed a separation of the haplotypes between Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysia Borneo, forming two distinct clusters. Additionally, the genetic distances between these clusters were high (2.3–5.2% for CO1) and (2.3–4.7% for ITS2), indicating the likely presence of two distinct species or cryptic species within An. latens. In contrast, no distinct clusters were observed in An. cracens, An. balabacensis, or An. introlatus, implying a lack of pronounced genetic differentiation among their populations. It is worth noting that there were varying levels of polymorphism observed across the different subpopulations, highlighting some levels of genetic variation within these mosquito species. Nevertheless, further analyses revealed that all four species have undergone demographic expansion, suggesting population growth and potential range expansion for these vectors in this region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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21 pages, 1397 KiB  
Article
DNA Barcodes of Mansonia (Mansonia) Blanchard, 1901 (Diptera, Culicidae)
by Jandui Almeida Amorim, Tatiane Marques Porangaba de Oliveira, Ivy Luizi Rodrigues de Sá, Taires Peniche da Silva and Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
Genes 2023, 14(6), 1127; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14061127 - 23 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1363
Abstract
Females of the genus Mansonia feed on the blood of humans, livestock, and other vertebrates to develop their eggs. The females’ biting behavior may cause severe disturbance to blood hosts, with a negative impact on public health and economics. Certain species have been [...] Read more.
Females of the genus Mansonia feed on the blood of humans, livestock, and other vertebrates to develop their eggs. The females’ biting behavior may cause severe disturbance to blood hosts, with a negative impact on public health and economics. Certain species have been identified as potential or effective disease vectors. The accurate species identification of field-collected specimens is of paramount importance for the success of monitoring and control strategies. Mansonia (Mansonia) morphological species boundaries are blurred by patterns of intraspecific heteromorphism and interspecific isomorphism. DNA barcodes can help to solve taxonomic controversies, especially if combined with other molecular tools. We used cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene 5′ end (DNA barcode) sequences to identify 327 field-collected specimens of Mansonia (Mansonia) spp. The sampling encompassed males and females collected from three Brazilian regions and previously assigned to species based on their morphological characteristics. Eleven GenBank and BOLD sequences were added to the DNA barcode analyses. Initial morphospecies assignments were mostly corroborated by the results of five clustering methods based on Kimura two-parameter distance and maximum likelihood phylogeny. Five to eight molecular operational taxonomic units may represent taxonomically unknown species. The first DNA barcode records for Mansonia fonsecai, Mansonia iguassuensis, and Mansonia pseudotitillans are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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14 pages, 2201 KiB  
Article
High Levels of Diversity in Anopheles Subgenus Kerteszia Revealed by Species Delimitation Analyses
by Brian P. Bourke, Richard C. Wilkerson, Fredy Ruiz-Lopez, Silvia A. Justi, David B. Pecor, Martha L. Quinones, Juan-Carlos Navarro, Joubert Alarcón Ormaza, Joubert Alarcón Ormaza, Jr., Ranulfo González, Carmen Flores-Mendoza, Fanny Castro, Jesús E. Escovar and Yvonne-Marie Linton
Genes 2023, 14(2), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14020344 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1712
Abstract
The Anopheles subgenus Kerteszia is a poorly understood group of mosquitoes that includes several species of medical importance. Although there are currently twelve recognized species in the subgenus, previous studies have shown that this is likely to be an underestimate of species diversity. [...] Read more.
The Anopheles subgenus Kerteszia is a poorly understood group of mosquitoes that includes several species of medical importance. Although there are currently twelve recognized species in the subgenus, previous studies have shown that this is likely to be an underestimate of species diversity. Here, we undertake a baseline study of species delimitation using the barcode region of the mtDNA COI gene to explore species diversity among a geographically and taxonomically diverse range of Kerteszia specimens. Beginning with 10 of 12 morphologically identified Kerteszia species spanning eight countries, species delimitation analyses indicated a high degree of cryptic diversity. Overall, our analyses found support for at least 28 species clusters within the subgenus Kerteszia. The most diverse taxon was Anopheles neivai, a known malaria vector, with eight species clusters. Five other species taxa showed strong signatures of species complex structure, among them Anopheles bellator, which is also considered a malaria vector. There was some evidence for species structure within An. homunculus, although the results were equivocal across delimitation analyses. The current study, therefore, suggests that species diversity within the subgenus Kerteszia has been grossly underestimated. Further work will be required to build on this molecular characterization of species diversity and will rely on genomic level approaches and additional morphological data to test these species hypotheses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics of Mosquito Species)
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