Meeting Abstract

P1.104  Friday, Jan. 4  Transcriptional changes in key metabolic enzymes contribute to metabolic restructuring during diapause in the mosquito, Aedes albopictus. REYNOLDS, JA*; POELCHAU, M; ARMBRUSTER, P; DENLINGER, DL; Ohio State University; Georgetown University; Georgetown University; Ohio State University reynolds.473@osu.edu

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of the most invasive species on the planet, and its range has expanded dramatically during the last 20 years. One key to the success of this species is its ability to enter diapause, an endogenously controlled form of dormancy characterized by developmental arrest and metabolic restructuring (i.e. coordinated downregulation of energy production and utilization, and upregulation of processes that enhance stress resistance). To improve our understanding of the molecular regulation of the metabolic restructuring that occurs during embryonic diapause in Ae. albopictus, we used qRT-PCR to assess transcriptional changes of genes encoding key enzymes involved in the metabolism of lipids, which are at least 30% more abundant in diapause embryos compared to non-diapause embryos. Elevated expression of lipid storage droplet protein 2 likely contributes to lipid conservation during diapause as does downregulation lipase 2, lipase 3, lipase 4, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase 4, and isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase, which are genes with known roles in lipid catabolism. Two genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and modification, Δ(9)-desaturase, and fatty acyl-CoA elongase, were both up-regulated in diapausing pharate larvae, suggesting roles for their gene products in generating saturated fatty acids to enhance membrane fluidity at low temperatures and generating precursors to the surface hydrocarbons needed to resist desiccation, respectively. Taken together, our results provide new insights into the molecular pathways affecting lipid metabolism during diapause in Ae. albopictus.