Molecular characterization, expression and in-silico analysis of fibrinogen-related protein 1 (frep1) in malaria vector Anopheles stephensi.

Background: Fibrinogen-related protein 1 (frep1) is a member of the pattern-recognizing receptor family (PRR) which generates an innate immune response after recognizing the pattern associated molecular pattern (PAMP) that occurs on the surface of microorganisms. The main objective of this study is to characterize frep1 and its in-silico analysis in Anopheles stephensi.

Methods And Result: The DNA was extracted from female Anopheles stephensi. PCR was performed for complete analysis of frep1 using specific primers. The gene sequence of frep1 was identified by Sanger sequencing. The bioinformatics structure analysis approach revealed the presence of 3 exons and 4 introns in the frep1. The sequence of frep1 was submitted to NCBI GeneBank with accession number ON817187.1. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze frep1 expression. At the developmental stage, frep1 is highly expressed in the L1 stage, egg, and adult female mosquito. In addition, frep1 is highly expressed in the tissue fat body, midgut, and salivary gland. After blood-fed, an upregulation of frep1 at 48 h in the midgut, and downregulation in fat body were observed at different time intervals.

Conclusion: The genomic data of frep1 is encoded by 12,443 bp. The frep1 has a significant role in the early metamorphosis. Its expression in fat body and midgut suggests it could be important for fat metabolism and post-blood digestion. The conserved domain could be targeted for vector control. Further study is required to elucidate its function against malaria parasites to confirm its agonist role in malaria transmission.