Abstract

This 4-year proposal describes continuing investigation of immunity functions expressed by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquito cell lines. In a previous funding period, it was shown that these cells express several inducible activities when stimulated with heat-killed bacteria. Activities corresponding to transferrin, defensin, lysozyme and cecropin have now been characterized at the molecular level, including recovery of corresponding cDNAs.
In aim 1 they will use the cecropin and lysozyme cDNAs as probes to characterized gene family size and genomic DNA structure. The work will include identification of exon-intron organization and recovery of upstream flanking DNA, which will be analyzed for potential regulatory elements.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI036258-06
Application #
6341645
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-TMP (01))
Program Officer
Aultman, Kathryn S
Project Start
1995-07-01
Project End
2003-12-31
Budget Start
2001-01-01
Budget End
2001-12-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$197,069
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Zoology
Type
Schools of Earth Sciences/Natur
DUNS #
168559177
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455

  Publications

Hernandez, Vida P; Higgins, LeeAnn; Fallon, Ann M (2003) Characterization and cDNA cloning of an immune-induced lysozyme from cultured Aedes albopictus mosquito cells. Dev Comp Immunol 27:11-20
Nasr, Nadia M; Fallon, Ann M (2003) Detection of lysozyme-like enzymatic activity secreted by an immune-responsive mosquito cell line. J Invertebr Pathol 82:162-6
Sun, D; Fallon, A M (2002) Characterization of genomic DNA encoding cecropins from an Aedes albopictus mosquito cell line. Insect Mol Biol 11:21-30
Eccleston, E D; Gerenday, Anna; Fallon, Ann M (2002) Leveraging genomic databases: from an Aedes albopictus mosquito cell line to the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae via the Drosophila genome project. Insect Mol Biol 11:187-95
Fallon, A M; Sun, D (2001) Exploration of mosquito immunity using cells in culture. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 31:263-78
Gao, Y; Fallon, A M (2000) Immune activation upregulates lysozyme gene expression in Aedes aegypti mosquito cell culture. Insect Mol Biol 9:553-8
Gao, Y; Hernandez, V P; Fallon, A M (1999) Immunity proteins from mosquito cell lines include three defensin A isoforms from Aedes aegypti and a defensin D from Aedes albopictus. Insect Mol Biol 8:311-8
Sun, D; Eccleston, E D; Fallon, A M (1999) Cloning and expression of three cecropin cDNAs from a mosquito cell line. FEBS Lett 454:147-51
Sun, D; Eccleston, E D; Fallon, A M (1998) Peptide sequence of an antibiotic cecropin from the vector mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 249:410-5
Yoshiga, T; Hernandez, V P; Fallon, A M et al. (1997) Mosquito transferrin, an acute-phase protein that is up-regulated upon infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 94:12337-42