Exploratory phosphoproteomics profiling of Aedes aegypti Malpighian tubules during blood meal processing reveals dramatic transition in function

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 8;17(7):e0271248. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271248. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Malpighian tubules, the renal organs of mosquitoes, facilitate the rapid dehydration of blood meals through aquaporin-mediated osmosis. We performed phosphoproteomics analysis of three Malpighian tubule protein-libraries (1000 tubules/sample) from unfed female mosquitoes as well as one and 24 hours after a blood meal. We identified 4663 putative phosphorylation sites in 1955 different proteins. Our exploratory dataset reveals blood meal-induced changes in phosphorylation patterns in many subunits of V-ATPase, proteins of the target of rapamycin signaling pathway, vesicle-mediated protein transport proteins, proteins involved in monocarboxylate transport, and aquaporins. Our phosphoproteomics data suggest the involvement of a variety of new pathways including nutrient-signaling, membrane protein shuttling, and paracellular water flow in the regulation of urine excretion. Our results support a model in which aquaporin channels translocate from intracellular vesicles to the cell membrane of stellate cells and the brush border membrane of principal cells upon blood feeding.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aedes* / physiology
  • Animals
  • Aquaporins* / metabolism
  • Biological Transport
  • Female
  • Malpighian Tubules / metabolism
  • Meals
  • Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Aquaporins
  • Proteins