Transcription profiling reveals tissue-specific metabolic pathways in the fat body and ovary of the diapausing mosquito Culex pipiens

Abstract

The northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, employs diapause as an essential survival strategy during winter, inducing important phenotypic changes such as enhanced stress tolerance, lipid accumulation, and extended longevity. During diapause, the cessation of reproductive development represents another distinctive phenotypic change, underlining the need for adjusted modulation of gene expressions within the ovary. Although considerable advancements in screening gene expression profiles in diapausing and non-diapausing mosquitoes, there remains a gap in tissue-specific transcriptomic profiling that could elucidate the complicated formation of diverse diapause features in Cx. pipiens. Here, we filled this gap by utilizing RNA sequencing, providing a detailed examination of gene expression patterns in the fat body and ovary during diapause compared to non-diapause conditions. Functional annotation of upregulated genes identified associations with carbohydrate metabolism, stress tolerance, immunity, and epigenetic regulation. The validation of candidate genes using quantitative real-time PCR verified the differentially expressed genes identified in diapausing mosquitoes. Our findings contribute novel insights into potential regulators during diapause in Cx. pipiens, thereby opening possible avenues for developing innovative vector control strategies.