Genome-wide transcriptional analyses in Anopheles mosquitoes reveal an unexpected association between salivary gland gene expression and insecticide resistance.

BACKGROUND: To combat malaria transmission, the Ugandan government has embarked upon an ambitious programme of indoor residual spraying (IRS) with a carbamate class insecticide, bendiocarb. In preparation for this campaign, we characterized bendiocarb resistance and associated transcriptional variation among Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquitoes from two sites in Uganda.

RESULTS: Gene expression in two mosquito populations displaying some resistance to bendiocarb (95% and 79% An. gambiae s.l. WHO tube bioassay mortality in Nagongera and Kihihi, respectively) was investigated using whole-genome microarrays. Significant overexpression of several genes encoding salivary gland proteins, including D7r2 and D7r4, was detected in mosquitoes from Nagongera. In Kihihi, D7r4, two detoxification-associated genes (Cyp6m2 and Gstd3) and an epithelial serine protease were among the genes most highly overexpressed in resistant mosquitoes. Following the first round of IRS in Nagongera, bendiocarb-resistant mosquitoes were collected, and real-time quantitative PCR analyses detected significant overexpression of D7r2 and D7r4 in resistant mosquitoes. A single nucleotide polymorphism located in a non-coding transcript downstream of the D7 genes was found at a significantly higher frequency in resistant individuals. In silico modelling of the interaction between D7r4 and bendiocarb demonstrated similarity between the insecticide and serotonin, a known ligand of D7 proteins. A meta-analysis of published microarray studies revealed a recurring association between D7 expression and insecticide resistance across Anopheles species and locations.

CONCLUSIONS: A whole-genome microarray approach identified an association between novel insecticide resistance candidates and bendiocarb resistance in Uganda. In addition, a single nucleotide polymorphism associated with this resistance mechanism was discovered. The use of such impartial screening methods allows for discovery of resistance candidates that have no previously-ascribed function in insecticide binding or detoxification. Characterizing these novel candidates will broaden our understanding of resistance mechanisms and yield new strategies for combatting widespread insecticide resistance among malaria vectors.