Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika, and yellow fever continue to pose a significant global health threat, infecting millions of people each year. However, current control efforts are increasingly challenged by the rise in insecticide resistance and the limited availability of effective vaccines. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying mosquito reproduction is therefore essential for developing new and sustainable strategies to control mosquito populations and reduce disease transmission.

To reproduce, female mosquitoes must consume blood, triggering dramatic metabolic changes to support egg development and maturation. However, how mosquitoes coordinate energy use with reproduction has remained largely unknown.

To address this question, research Team led by Prof. ZOU Zhen from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences collaborated with Prof. RAIKHEL S. Alexader from University of California Riverside, has identified a key gene, E93, that plays a central role in maintaining metabolic balance during the mosquito reproductive cycle. Their findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that E93 regulates metabolism by modulating the insulin signaling pathway and directly repressing the expression of PEPCK genes, which are critical to gluconeogenesis. This dual mechanism helps mosquitoes efficiently manage energy after blood feeding.

This discovery not only deepens the understanding of mosquito reproductive biology but also offers new insights for controlling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Additionally, since the functional domains of the E93 protein are highly conserved across insects, the findings revealed here may also provide valuable clues for studying the metabolic regulation of E93 in a wide range of insect species.

Figure: The diagram illustrates the mechanism of E93-mediated metabolic homeostasis in the A. aegypti female mosquitoes following a blood meal. (Image by Prof. ZOU Zhen’ Lab)