Phenotypic, transcriptional, spatial, and functional profile of unconventional cutaneous lymphoid populations in response to exposure to Aedes aegypti mosquito bite in naïve and sensitized hosts

• Grant number: 25/19483-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2026
• End date: January 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Entomology and Malacology of Parasites and Vectors
• Principal Investigator: Anderson de Sá Nunes
• Grantee: Alan Frazão da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is a hematophagous arthropod from the Culicidae family, distributed worldwide. This mosquito is a vector of arboviruses that cause yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, and dengue, which together are responsible for the deaths of thousands of individuals each year. Ae. aegypti uses glucose obtained from plant nectar as the primary energy source for its metabolism. However, female mosquitoes require additional nutrients to ensure egg maturation, which they obtain through hematophagy, the ingestion of blood from vertebrate hosts. Following mosquito exposure, the vertebrate host develops a cutaneous inflammatory reaction characterized by cell migration to the bite site, as well as a systemic adaptive immune response to mosquito salivary components. Various immune cells present in the skin include innate lymphoid cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, ¿¿ T cells, and mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells - all of lymphoid origin and playing a key role in bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. Despite the growing number of studies revealing the role of these cells in health and disease, their involvement in the genesis of the response to Ae. aegypti salivary components remains unknown. Therefore, the present study aims to characterize the phenotypic, transcriptional, spatial, and functional profiles of these unconventional cutaneous lymphoid populations in response to Ae. aegypti bites, using naïve and sensitized mice previously exposed to salivary antigens as an experimental model, and applying state-of-the-art techniques such as spectral flow cytometry, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics to perform the evaluations. (AU)