# The role of mosquito microRNAs in blood digestion.

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE · 2020 · $430,358

## Abstract

Alexander S. Raikhel
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The damaging effect of mosquito-borne diseases is colossal, with about a million deaths and hundreds of
thousands of people becoming seriously ill annually. Being the principal vector for dengue, yellow fever,
chikungunya virus and recently Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquito is an extremely important organism for
investigation. Small non-coding microRNAs (miRNA) are responsible for posttranscriptional control of mRNAs
and act as essential regulators of development. Our efforts during the previous funding cycle have revealed the
role of miRNAs in controlling multiple physiological functions in female mosquitoes. Moreover, we have
established a number of essential methodologies for mosquito miRNA investigations, from bioinformatics and
miRNA library sequencing to genetics approaches such as CRISPR/Cas9 and GAL4/UAS. These studies have
provided a foundation for further exploration of mosquito miRNAs. However, our knowledge about miRNA roles
in such an essential process as female mosquito reproduction is still limited. Thus, the goal of the present grant
proposal is to elucidate the involvement of miRNAs in regulatory networks governing blood-meal-activated
reproductive events in female mosquitoes. The overall hypothesis is that miRNAs are critical components of
these regulatory networks. We will examine the following hypotheses in Specific Aims: Aim 1. miRNAs are
involved in posttranscriptional regulation of enzymes essential for blood digestion. Aim 2. miRNAs are required
for the control of key factors of transcriptional networks that are necessary for orchestrating the female mosquito
reproductive cycle. Aim 3. As important regulatory molecules, miRNAs are under strict control, coordinating
their activity with demands of mosquito reproduction. The innovation of this proposed research rests on a
comprehensive analysis of the role of miRNAs in mosquito reproduction and application of wide-ranging
methodologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9 and Gal4-UAS. The significance of the present grant proposal is in
establishing a novel paradigm concerning the association of miRNAs with regulatory networks controlling
mosquito reproduction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9852544
- **Project number:** 5R01AI113729-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
- **Principal Investigator:** ALEXANDER SIMEON RAIKHEL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $430,358
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-06-15 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9852544

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9852544, The role of mosquito microRNAs in blood digestion. (5R01AI113729-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9852544. Licensed CC0.

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