Microbiota-induced peritrophic matrix regulates midgut homeostasis and prevents systemic infection of malaria vector mosquitoes

• Published in: PLoS pathogens 2017-05, Vol.13 (5), p.e1006391-e1006391
• Main Authors: Rodgers, Faye H, Gendrin, Mathilde, Wyer, Claudia A S, Christophides, George K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analogies; Analysis; Animals; Anopheles - microbiology; Aquatic insects; Bacteria; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood; Cell anatomy; Control methods; Digestive tract; Disease control; Disease transmission; Disseminated infection; Epithelium; Epithelium - parasitology; Feeding; Female; Functional anatomy; Gastrointestinal tract; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Gene expression; Gene Library; Genetic engineering; Genomes; Homeostasis; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Immune system; Infections; Insects; Integrity; Intestinal microflora; Laboratories; Life Sciences; Malaria; Malaria - immunology; Malaria - parasitology; Malaria - transmission; Mammals; Mathematical analysis; Matrices (mathematics); Matrix methods; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microbiota - immunology; Midgut; Mosquito Vectors - microbiology; Mosquitoes; Mucus; Parasites; Physical Sciences; Prevention; Sepsis - immunology; Sepsis - parasitology; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Systemic diseases; Transcription factors; Vector-borne diseases
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006391

Manipulation of the mosquito gut microbiota can lay the foundations for novel methods for disease transmission control. Mosquito blood feeding triggers a significant, transient increase of the gut microbiota, but little is known about the mechanisms by which the mosquito controls this bacterial growth whilst limiting inflammation of the gut epithelium. Here, we investigate the gut epithelial response to the changing microbiota load upon blood feeding in the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii. We show that the synthesis and integrity of the peritrophic matrix, which physically separates the gut epithelium from its luminal contents, is microbiota dependent. We reveal that the peritrophic matrix limits the growth and persistence of Enterobacteriaceae within the gut, whilst preventing seeding of a systemic infection. Our results demonstrate that the peritrophic matrix is a key regulator of mosquito gut homeostasis and establish functional analogies between this and the mucus layers of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract.