The genome of Anopheles darlingi, the main neotropical malaria vector

• Published in: Nucleic acids research Vol. 41; no. 15; pp. 7387 - 7400
• Main Authors: Marinotti, Osvaldo, Cerqueira, Gustavo C, de Almeida, Luiz Gonzaga Paula, Ferro, Maria Inês Tiraboschi, Loreto, Elgion Lucio da Silva, Zaha, Arnaldo, Teixeira, Santuza M R, Wespiser, Adam R, Almeida E Silva, Alexandre, Schlindwein, Aline Daiane, Pacheco, Ana Carolina Landim, Silva, Artur Luiz da Costa da, Graveley, Brenton R, Walenz, Brian P, Lima, Bruna de Araujo, Ribeiro, Carlos Alexandre Gomes, Nunes-Silva, Carlos Gustavo, de Carvalho, Carlos Roberto, Soares, Célia Maria de Almeida, de Menezes, Claudia Beatriz Afonso, Matiolli, Cleverson, Caffrey, Daniel, Araújo, Demetrius Antonio M, de Oliveira, Diana Magalhães, Golenbock, Douglas, Grisard, Edmundo Carlos, Fantinatti-Garboggini, Fabiana, de Carvalho, Fabíola Marques, Barcellos, Fernando Gomes, Prosdocimi, Francisco, May, Gemma, Azevedo Junior, Gilson Martins de, Guimarães, Giselle Moura, Goldman, Gustavo Henrique, Padilha, Itácio Q M, Batista, Jacqueline da Silva, Ferro, Jesus Aparecido, Ribeiro, José M C, Fietto, Juliana Lopes Rangel, Dabbas, Karina Maia, Cerdeira, Louise, Agnez-Lima, Lucymara Fassarella, Brocchi, Marcelo, de Carvalho, Marcos Oliveira, Teixeira, Marcus de Melo, Diniz Maia, Maria de Mascena, Goldman, Maria Helena S, Cruz Schneider, Maria Paula, Felipe, Maria Sueli Soares, Hungria, Mariangela, Nicolás, Marisa Fabiana, Pereira, Maristela, Montes, Martín Alejandro, Cantão, Maurício E, Vincentz, Michel, Rafael, Miriam Silva, Silverman, Neal, Stoco, Patrícia Hermes, Souza, Rangel Celso, Vicentini, Renato, Gazzinelli, Ricardo Tostes, Neves, Rogério de Oliveira, Silva, Rosane, Astolfi-Filho, Spartaco, Maciel, Talles Eduardo Ferreira, Urményi, Turán P, Tadei, Wanderli Pedro, Camargo, Erney Plessmann, de Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza Ribeiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Anopheles - classification; Anopheles - genetics; Brazil; Chromosomes, Insect - genetics; DNA Transposable Elements; Evolution, Molecular; Female; Genetic Variation; Genome, Insect; Genomics; Host-Parasite Interactions; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Vectors - classification; Insect Vectors - genetics; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides - pharmacology; Malaria - parasitology; Male; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Phylogeny; Synteny; Transcriptome; Brazil
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt484

Anopheles darlingi is the principal neotropical malaria vector, responsible for more than a million cases of malaria per year on the American continent. Anopheles darlingi diverged from the African and Asian malaria vectors ∼100 million years ago (mya) and successfully adapted to the New World environment. Here we present an annotated reference A. darlingi genome, sequenced from a wild population of males and females collected in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 10 481 predicted protein-coding genes were annotated, 72% of which have their closest counterpart in Anopheles gambiae and 21% have highest similarity with other mosquito species. In spite of a long period of divergent evolution, conserved gene synteny was observed between A. darlingi and A. gambiae. More than 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and short indels with potential use as genetic markers were identified. Transposable elements correspond to 2.3% of the A. darlingi genome. Genes associated with hematophagy, immunity and insecticide resistance, directly involved in vector-human and vector-parasite interactions, were identified and discussed. This study represents the first effort to sequence the genome of a neotropical malaria vector, and opens a new window through which we can contemplate the evolutionary history of anopheline mosquitoes. It also provides valuable information that may lead to novel strategies to reduce malaria transmission on the South American continent. The A. darlingi genome is accessible at www.labinfo.lncc.br/index.php/anopheles-darlingi.