Unbiased classification of mosquito blood cells by single-cell genomics and high-content imaging

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 sequenci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2018-08, Vol.115 (32), p.E7568-E7577
Main Authors: Severo, Maiara S., Landry, Jonathan J. M., Lindquist, Randall L., Goosmann, Christian, Brinkmann, Volker, Collier, Paul, Hauser, Anja E., Benes, Vladimir, Henriksson, Johan, Teichmann, Sarah A., Levashina, Elena A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic insects
Biodiversity
Biological Sciences
Blood
Blood cells
Classification
Entomology
Flow cytometry
Functional plasticity
Gene expression
Gene sequencing
Genomics
Hybridization
Immune system
Malaria
Medical imaging
Mosquitoes
Plastic foam
PNAS Plus
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Transcription
Vector-borne diseases
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1803062115