Vision guides the twilight search for oviposition sites of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

Background: Oviposition site selection is an important component of vector mosquito reproductive biology. The Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a major and important vector of arboviruses including Dengue. Previous studies documented the preference of gravid females for small, dark-colored water containers as oviposition sites, which they sought during the twilight period (dusk) of their locomotor activity.

ACAT1 Induces the Differentiation of Glioblastoma Cells by Rewiring Choline Metabolism.

Abnormal differentiation of cells is a hallmark of malignancy. Induction of cancer-cell differentiation is emerging as a novel therapeutic strategy with low toxicity in hematological malignances, but whether such treatment can be used in solid tumors is not known. Here, we uncovered a novel function of acetyl coenzyme A acetyltransferase (ACAT1) in regulating the differentiation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Meroterpenoid Derivatives against Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.

Cisplatin is a widely used drug for the clinical treatment of tumors. However, nephrotoxicity limits its widespread use. A series of compounds including eight analogs () and 40 simplifiers () were synthesized based on the total synthesis of Psiguamer A and B, which were novel meroterpenoids with unusual skeletons from the leaves of .

The odorant-binding protein genes obp67 and obp56d-like encode products that guide oviposition site selection in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

Aedes albopictus is an important vector of arboviruses and prefers small containers of stagnant water as oviposition sites. One of the mechanisms mosquitoes use to search for suitable oviposition sites is relying on odor cues from prospective sites and their surroundings. The genetic and molecular bases of this behavior are not known for Ae.

Design and evaluation of an efficient mosquito trap.

Background: Vector mosquito control is important for preventing and controlling mosquito-borne infectious diseases. This study designed and developed a mosquito killer (MK) with a specific light wavelength, simulated human body temperature, human odor, and a photocatalyst to stimulate CO based on the physiological characteristics and ecological habits of mosquitoes. We tested the trapping effect of individual and multiple mosquito-trapping elements of the MK through two-way selection experiments and compared them with several commercial mosquito traps.

miR-2940-1 is involved in the circadian regulation of oviposition in Aedes albopictus.

The vast majority of all global species have circadian rhythm cycles that allow them to adapt to natural environments. These regular rhythms are regulated by core clock genes and recent studies have also implicated roles for microRNAs in this regulation. Oviposition is an important circadian behavior in the reproductive cycle of insect vectors of diseases, and little is known about the rhythm or its regulation in mosquitoes.

Modelling the dynamic basic reproduction number of dengue based on MOI of Aedes albopictus derived from a multi-site field investigation in Guangzhou, a subtropical region.

Background: More than half of the global population lives in areas at risk of dengue (DENV) transmission. Developing an efficient risk prediction system can help curb dengue outbreaks, but multiple variables, including mosquito-based surveillance indicators, still constrain our understanding. Mosquito or oviposition positive index (MOI) has been utilized in field surveillance to monitor the wild population density of Aedes albopictus in Guangzhou since 2005.

Field investigation combined with modeling uncovers the ecological heterogeneity of Aedes albopictus habitats for strategically improving systematic management during urbanization.

Background: Aedes albopictus is an invasive vector of serious Aedes-borne diseases of global concern. Habitat management remains a critical factor for establishing a cost-effective systematic strategy for sustainable vector control. However, the community-based characteristics of Ae.

The dynamics of deltamethrin resistance evolution in Aedes albopictus has an impact on fitness and dengue virus type-2 vectorial capacity.

Background: Worldwide invasion and expansion of Aedes albopictus, an important vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, has become a serious concern in global public health. Chemical insecticides are the primary means currently available to control the mosquito populations. However, long-term and large-scale use of insecticides has selected for resistance in the mosquito that is accompanied by a genetic load that impacts fitness.

Discovery, Optimization, and Evaluation of Novel -(Benzimidazol-5-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine Analogues as Potent STAT3 Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an attractive target for cancer therapy. However, identifying potent and selective STAT3 small-molecule inhibitors with drug-like properties remains challenging. Based on a scaffold combination strategy, compounds with a novel -(benzimidazol-5-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine scaffold were designed and their inhibition of the interleukin-6 (IL-6)/JAK/STAT3 pathway was tested in HEK-Blue IL-6 reporter cells.

Chlorogenic Acid Induced Neuroblastoma Cells Differentiation via the ACAT1-TPK1-PDH Pathway.

Background: Chlorogenic acid (CHA) has been shown to have substantial biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. However, the pharmacological role of CHA in neuroblastoma has not yet been assessed. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that develops in undifferentiated sympathetic ganglion cells.

Metagenomic analysis reveals the virome profiles of in Guangzhou, China.

Introduction: is an aggressive invasive mosquito species widely distributed around the world, and it is also a known vector of arboviruses. Virus metagenomics and RNA interference (RNAi) are important in studying the biology and antiviral defense of . However, the virome and potential transmission of plant viruses by remain understudied.

Mosquito densovirus significantly reduces the vector susceptibility to dengue virus serotype 2 in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) is a major public health threat, with Aedes albopictus being the confirmed vector responsible for dengue epidemics in Guangzhou, China. Mosquito densoviruses (MDVs) are pathogenic mosquito-specific viruses, and a novel MDV was previously isolated from Ae. albopictus in Guangzhou.

A DBHS family member regulates male determination in the filariasis vector Armigeres subalbatus.

The initial signals governing sex determination vary widely among insects. Here we show that Armigeres subalbatus M factor (AsuMf), a male-specific duplication of an autosomal gene of the Drosophila behaviour/human splicing (DBHS) gene family, is the potential primary signal for sex determination in the human filariasis vector mosquito, Ar. subalbatus.

Clock genes regulate mating activity rhythms in the vector mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus.

Background: Endogenous circadian rhythms result from genetically-encoded molecular clocks, whose components and downstream output factors cooperate to generate cyclic changes in activity. Mating is an important activity of mosquitoes, however, the key aspects of mating rhythm patterns and their regulatory mechanisms in two vector mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, remain unclear.

Methodology/principal Findings: We determined and compared the diel mating activity rhythms of these two mosquito species and discovered that Ae.

Virome and nrEVEome diversity of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from La Reunion Island and China.

Background: Aedes albopictus is a public health threat for its worldwide spread and ability to transmit arboviruses. Understanding mechanisms of mosquito immunity can provide new tools to control arbovirus spread. The genomes of Aedes mosquitoes contain hundreds of nonretroviral endogenous viral elements (nrEVEs), which are enriched in piRNA clusters and produce piRNAs, with the potential to target cognate viruses.

A unified global genotyping framework of dengue virus serotype-1 for a stratified coordinated surveillance strategy of dengue epidemics.

Background: Dengue is the fastest spreading arboviral disease, posing great challenges on global public health. A reproduceable and comparable global genotyping framework for contextualizing spatiotemporal epidemiological data of dengue virus (DENV) is essential for research studies and collaborative surveillance.

Methods: Targeting DENV-1 spreading prominently in recent decades, by reconciling all qualified complete E gene sequences of 5003 DENV-1 strains with epidemiological information from 78 epidemic countries/areas ranging from 1944 to 2018, we established and characterized a unified global high-resolution genotyping framework using phylogenetics, population genetics, phylogeography, and phylodynamics.

Development and evaluation of an efficient and real-time monitoring system for the vector mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus.

Background: The surveillance of vector mosquitoes is essential for prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. In this study, we developed an internet-based vector mosquito monitor, MS-300, and evaluated its efficiency for the capture of the important vector mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, in laboratory and field trials.

Methodology/principal Findings: The linear sizes of adult Ae.

The AalNix3&4 isoform is required and sufficient to convert Aedes albopictus females into males.

Aedes albopictus is one of the most invasive insect species in the world and an effective vector for many important arboviruses. We reported previously that Ae. albopictus Nix (AalNix) is the male-determining factor of this species.

Armigeres subalbatus is a potential vector for Zika virus but not dengue virus.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) are closely related flaviviruses primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Armigeres subalbatus is an emerging and widely distributed mosquito, and ZIKV has been detected and isolated from it. However, it is not clear whether Ar.

MAGI2-AS3 restrains proliferation, glycolysis, and triggers apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia via regulating miR-452-5p/FOXN3 pathway.

Objectives: MAGI2-AS3 is a cancer suppressor gene of multiple malignancies. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an important type of leukemia that especially occurs in children. Our work evaluated the modulation of MAGI2-AS3 in ALL.

Interspecific mating bias may drive displacement of during its range expansion.

is the most invasive mosquito in the world and often displaces in regions where their populations overlap. Interspecific mating has been proposed as a possible cause for this displacement, but whether this applies across the range of their sympatry remains unclear. and collected from allopatric and sympatric areas in China were allowed to interact in cage experiments with different crosses and sex-choices.