The brain of the female Anopheles gambiae mosquito at spatial and single-cell resolution

Abstract

Abstract Blood feeding in Anopheles mosquitoes is at the root of all malaria infections in humans and is supported by a range of physiological and behavioral adaptations. Since behavior is orchestrated at the level of the central nervous system, we surveyed the cellular diversity and spatial organization of the female Anopheles gambiae brain and compared it to other insect species. We then describe transcriptional changes associated with mosquito life history events with single brain and single-cell RNA sequencing. We did not identify expansion of specific cell populations, but a modulation of neurotransmission in the mated mosquitoes, and a metabolic and immune response associated with glia, Kenyon cells and immune cells after bloodmeal, and detected signatures of aging in the mosquito brain. We did not find an effect of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Our atlas will empower the study of non-model insect neurobiology, neural basis of vector behavior, and mechanisms underlying malaria transmission.