# RNA-binding proteins in mosquito development

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE · 2022 · $226,634

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Mosquitoes transmit multiple diseases of enormous health importance worldwide, and
research to fundamentally understand the reproductive biology of mosquitoes is critical
to population control efforts for these deadly disease vectors. While RNA-binding proteins
(RBPs) play central roles in early development in model insect systems, very little is
known about the function of RBPs in mosquito reproduction, and significant differences
with the insect models are expected. In this study, we will address this knowledge gap
using a combination of bioinformatic, genetic and molecular biology approaches. In
preliminary data, integrative bioinformatic analysis has identified a focused set of RBPs
with candidate roles in mosquito oocyte and embryo development. We will investigate
their function in Aedes aegypti through the use of RNA interference and CRISPR/Cas9
tag knock-in lines, and will employ cutting-edge molecular profiling methods and
integrative analysis to assess the impact of relevant RBPs on the mRNA lifecycles.
Investigating RBP function in mosquito reproduction is highly significant because it would
identify novel attractive targets for gene drive efforts. Additionally, since our
understanding of post-transcriptional gene regulation lags behind that of transcriptional
control in most systems, this novel and largely unstudied aspect of mosquito biology will
advance our general knowledge of the roles and mechanisms of RBPs in development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10362575
- **Project number:** 5R21AI156605-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
- **Principal Investigator:** FEDOR V KARGINOV
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $226,634
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-03-02 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10362575

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10362575, RNA-binding proteins in mosquito development (5R21AI156605-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10362575. Licensed CC0.

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