RNAi-mediated gene knockdown and in vivo diuresis assay in adult female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

J Vis Exp. 2012 Jul 14:(65):e3479. doi: 10.3791/3479.

Abstract

This video protocol demonstrates an effective technique to knockdown a particular gene in an insect and conduct a novel bioassay to measure excretion rate. This method can be used to obtain a better understanding of the process of diuresis in insects and is especially useful in the study of diuresis in blood-feeding arthropods that are able to take up huge amounts of liquid in a single blood meal. This RNAi-mediated gene knockdown combined with an in vivo diuresis assay was developed by the Hansen lab to study the effects of RNAi-mediated knockdown of aquaporin genes on Aedes aegypti mosquito diuresis. The protocol is setup in two parts: the first demonstration illustrates how to construct a simple mosquito injection device and how to prepare and inject dsRNA into the thorax of mosquitoes for RNAi-mediated gene knockdown. The second demonstration illustrates how to determine excretion rates in mosquitoes using an in vivo bioassay.

Publication types

  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Diuresis / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques / methods*
  • RNA Interference*
  • RNA, Double-Stranded / administration & dosage*
  • RNA, Double-Stranded / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Double-Stranded