Measuring the Effect of Royal Jelly on the Seasonal Responses and Metabolic Profile of Culex pipiens
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Date
2022-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Females of the Northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens, enter their overwintering dormancy, or diapause,
in response to a decrease in absolute day length and environmental temperatures. Diapausing female
mosquitoes feed exclusively on sugar-rich products rather than human or animal blood, thereby reducing
disease transmission. During diapause, a protein referred to as Major Royal Jelly Protein 1 (MRJP1) is
upregulated in females of Cx. pipiens. This protein is highly abundant in royal jelly, a substance produced
by honey bees (Apis mellifera), that is fed to future queens throughout larval development and stimulates
queen longevity and fecundity. However, the role of MRJP1 in Cx. pipiens is unknown. We investigated
how supplementing the diets of both diapausing and nondiapausing females of Cx. pipiens with royal jelly
and knocking down MRJP1 with RNAi affects gene expression, egg follicle length, fat content, protein
content, longevity, and metabolic profile. We found that feeding royal jelly to females significantly
reduced the egg follicle lengths of non-diapausing females, suggesting that these females entered a
diapause-like state. In contrast, RNAi directed against MRJPI significantly increased egg follicle length
of diapausing females, suggesting that these females averted diapause. Additionally, consuming royal
jelly significantly decreased the lifespan of diapausing mosquitoes, while knocking down MRJP1
significantly increased the lifespan of short day-reared females. Finally, there were significant differences
observed in the metabolic profile of female mosquitoes that differentially consumed sugar water and royal
jelly. Taken together, our data show that royal jelly and expression of MRJPI play a crucial role in the
diapause program and its associated metabolites of mosquitoes of Cx. pipiens.
Description
First Place, Spring 2021 CFAES Undergraduate Research Forum
Presentation award, Spring 2021 Insect Biotech Conference
Presentation award, Spring 2021 Insect Biotech Conference