Seminal fluid proteome of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an important species from both an ecological and an epidemiological perspective.  Ecologically, it is considered to be one of the world’s fastest-spreading invasive animal species.  Epidemiologically, it is an important vector for a large number of pathogens and parasites affecting human and animal health including dengue and Chikungunya viruses.  One approach for understanding the ecological success and potential for disease spread of this species is to investigate seminal fluid proteins (SFPs), which are transferred from males to females during mating.  In Aedes mosquitoes, receipt of SFPs changes female host-seeking behavior, stimulates oviposition behavior, and decreases the probability of re-mating.  However, the identity of SFPs in Ae. albopictus has not previously been reported.  Here we report the results of our studies in which we used transcriptomics and proteomics to identify the SFPs of Ae. albopictus.  We compare the identities and putative functions of these SFPs with those reported for several other species, including the yellow fever mosquito, Ae. aegypti.  Our results have the potential to inform pest management techniques and provide interesting insights into the evolution and ecological characteristics of these two mosquito species.