The Developmental Transcriptome of Aedes albopictus, a Major Worldwide Human Disease Vector

Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are important vectors for a number of human pathogens including the Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. Capable of displacing Aedes aegypti populations, this mosquito adapts to cooler environments which increases its geographical range and transmission potential. There are limited control strategies for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes which is likely attributed to the lack of comprehensive biological studies on this emerging vector. To fill this void, here using RNAseq we characterized Aedes albopictus mRNA expression profiles at 34 distinct time points throughout development providing the first high-resolution comprehensive view of the developmental transcriptome of this worldwide human disease vector. This enabled us to identify several patterns of shared gene expression among tissues as well as sex-specific expression patterns. To illuminate the similarities and differences with Aedes aegypti, a related human disease vector, we also performed a comparative analysis between the two developmental transcriptomes, identifying life stages where the two species exhibit similar and distinct gene expression patterns. These findings provide insights into the similarities and differences between Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquito biology. In summary, the results generated from this study should form the basis for future investigations on the biology of Aedes albopictus and provide a gold mine resource for the development of transgene-based vector control strategies

Orientation of Pterin-6-Carboxylic Acid on Gold Capped Silicon Nanopillars Platforms: Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Studies

The orientation of pterin-6-carboxylic acid on gold nanopillars was investigated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory methods. The experimentally vibrations from pterin-6-COOH free and attached to the Au surface display vibration features indicating chemical interaction of the pterin with the metal surface. The spectral feature evidenced that the pterin would adsorb on gold surface with a "lying down" configuration through the high intensity vibration of NH scissoring and rocking OH modes. The orientation study of pterins on gold nanopillars presented herein is believed to lead to new applications in biosensing field for detecting pterins of physiological importance

The Developmental Transcriptome of Aedes albopictus, a Major Worldwide Human Disease Vector

Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are important vectors for a number of human pathogens including the Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. Capable of displacing Aedes aegypti populations, this mosquito adapts to cooler environments which increases its geographical range and transmission potential. There are limited control strategies for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes which is likely attributed to the lack of comprehensive biological studies on this emerging vector. To fill this void, here using RNAseq we characterized Aedes albopictus mRNA expression profiles at 34 distinct time points throughout development providing the first high-resolution comprehensive view of the developmental transcriptome of this worldwide human disease vector. This enabled us to identify several patterns of shared gene expression among tissues as well as sex-specific expression patterns. To illuminate the similarities and differences with Aedes aegypti, a related human disease vector, we also performed a comparative analysis between the two developmental transcriptomes, identifying life stages where the two species exhibit similar and distinct gene expression patterns. These findings provide insights into the similarities and differences between Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquito biology. In summary, the results generated from this study should form the basis for future investigations on the biology of Aedes albopictus and provide a gold mine resource for the development of transgene-based vector control strategies

Repurposing of Four Drugs as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents and Their Interactions with Protein Targets

Although there are existing vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), new COVID-19 cases are increasing due to low immunization coverage and the emergence of new variants. For this reason, new drugs to treat and prevent severe COVID-19 are needed. Here, we provide four different FDA-approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2 proteins involved in the entry and replication process, aiming to identify potential drugs to treat COVID-19. We use the main protease (Mpro), the spike glycoprotein (S protein), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) as protein targets for anti- SARS-CoV-2 drugs. In our constructed database, we selected different drugs against each target (Mpro, S protein, and RdRp) based on their common interactions with relevant residues involved in viral entry at the host cell and replication. Furthermore, their stability inside the binding pocket, as well as their predicted binding-free energy, allow us to provide new insight into the possible drug repurposing of viomycin (interacting with Mpro) due to its interactions with key residues, such as Asn 143, Glu 166, and Gln 189 at the same time as hesperidin (interacting with the S protein) is interacting with residues Tyr 449, Ser 494, and Thr 500, keeping inside the predicted binding pocket, as well as interacting with residues in different variants of concern. Finally, we also suggest nystatin and elvitegravir (interacting with RdRp) as possible drugs due to their stability within the predicted pocket along the simulation and their interaction with key residues, such as Asp 760, Asp 761, and Asp 618. Altogether our results provide new knowledge about the possible mechanism of the inhibition of viomycin, hesperidin, elvitegravir, and nystatin to inhibit the viral life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and some of its variants of concern (VOC). Additionally, some iodide-based contrast agents were also found to bind the S protein strongly, i.e., iohexol (−58.99 Kcal/mol), iotrolan (−76.19 Kcal/mol), and ioxilan (−62.37 Kcal/mol). Despite the information we report here as the possible strong interaction between these contrast agents and the SARS-CoV-2′s S protein, Mpro, and RdRp, we believe that further investigation, including chemical modifications in their structures, are needed for COVID-19 treatment

Exploiting a Y chromosome-linked Cas9 for sex selection and gene drive.

CRISPR-based genetic engineering tools aimed to bias sex ratios, or drive effector genes into animal populations, often integrate the transgenes into autosomal chromosomes. However, in species with heterogametic sex chromsomes (e.g. XY, ZW), sex linkage of endonucleases could be beneficial to drive the expression in a sex-specific manner to produce genetic sexing systems, sex ratio distorters, or even sex-specific gene drives, for example. To explore this possibility, here we develop a transgenic line of Drosophila melanogaster expressing Cas9 from the Y chromosome. We functionally characterize the utility of this strain for both sex selection and gene drive finding it to be quite effective. To explore its utility for population control, we built mathematical models illustrating its dynamics as compared to other state-of-the-art systems designed for both population modification and suppression. Taken together, our results contribute to the development of current CRISPR genetic control tools and demonstrate the utility of using sex-linked Cas9 strains for genetic control of animals