Expression of Sodium-Dependent Cation-Chloride Cotransporters in Adult and Larval Osmoregulatory Tissues of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, face diverse salt and water challenges. Larvae lose salt to the freshwater environment and gain water osmotically, whereas adults tend to lose water by evaporation. Moreover, adult females take in large quantities of salt and water during a blood meal. We hypothesize that sodium-dependent cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) contribute to the salt and water balance of Aedes aegypti by participating in epithelial salt secretion and absorption. Sequence analysis revealed three genes (AAEL006180, AAEL009888, and AAEL009886) in Aedes aegypti with similarity to vertebrate Na-K-Cl cotransporters. We performed multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the proteins encoded by the Aedes aegypti genes and orthologs in Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes, Drosophila, and other arthropods. The protein encoded by AAEL006180 groups in a clade with the human secretory Na-K-Cl cotransporter and a Drosophila cotransporter known to be involved in salt secretion. In contras...