Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 115, Issue 32, Pages E7568-E7577Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803062115
Keywords
entomology; insect immunity; malaria; blood cells; single-cell sequencing
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Funding
- Flow Cytometry Core Facility [German Rheumatism Research Centre (DRFZ)/Max Planck Institut for Infection Biology (MPIIB)]
- CNRS Laboratoire International Associe REL2 and resistance to malaria project
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Mosquito blood cells are immune cells that help control infection by vector-borne pathogens. Despite their importance, little is known about mosquito blood cell biology beyond morphological and functional criteria used for their classification. Here, we combined the power of single-cell RNA sequencing, high-content imaging flow cytometry, and single-molecule RNA hybridization to analyze a subset of blood cells of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. By demonstrating that blood cells express nearly half of the mosquito transcriptome, our dataset represents an unprecedented view into their transcriptional program. Analyses of differentially expressed genes identified transcriptional signatures of two cell types and provide insights into the current classification of these cells. We further demonstrate the active transfer of a cellular marker between blood cells that may confound their identification. We propose that cell-to-cell exchange may contribute to cellular diversity and functional plasticity seen across biological systems.
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