Cell by Cell, a New Map of Mosquito Cellular Immunity to Malaria Parasites Emerges | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Cell by Cell, a New Map of Mosquito Cellular Immunity to Malaria Parasites Emerges | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Cell by Cell, a New Map of Mosquito Cellular Immunity to Malaria Parasites Emerges

In a study published this week in Science, NIAID researchers and their colleagues describe the first detailed “atlas” of mosquito immune cells. By using single cell sequencing techniques, they were able to detect gene on-and-off signals in 8,500 individual cells, and to identify molecular markers for each cell type. They even discovered new types of mosquito immune cells which play key roles in a mosquito’s immune response to the parasite. The researchers say that this discovery could lead to new ways to keep mosquitoes from transmitting malaria parasites to people.

 

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