What this means
Mosquito larvae from different water sites showed different growth and gene activity. This study does not show why these differences happen.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- Mosquito larvae collected from breeding sites in Odisha, India, during 2023-2025
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Molecular dynamics of candidate developmental genes across breeding habitats of dengue vector Aedes albopictus in Odisha, India.
- Authors
- Samal S, Hamdi H, Pati S et al.
- Journal
- Acta tropica
- Published
- Oct 13, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42869153 ↗
Abstract
Aedes albopictus exhibits ecological adaptability across breeding habitats with distinct physicochemical characteristics. However, molecular mechanism underlying breeding habitat-specific adaptation of vector remains incompletely elucidated. Entomological surveys conducted during 2023-2025 in dengue-affected regions of Khordha, Odisha, identified Aedes breeding habitats and characterized their physicochemical attributes. From ∼6000 collected larvae, 1500 third- and fourth-instar larvae were selected for downstream analyses. A subset of 750 larvae was processed for RNA isolation and qRT-PCR-based expression analysis of candidate developmental genes HSP70, HSP83, EcR, and JHEH, whereas remaining 750 larvae were reared under semi-field conditions for developmental and reproductive traits assessment. Discarded tyres (65.6%) constituted major breeding habitats of Aedes albopictus, followed by plastic receptacles (15.73%), cement tanks (9.87%), and earthen pots (8.8%). Larvae from discarded tyres and plastic receptacles showed shorter developmental duration, higher fecundity, and increased adult longevity than cement tanks and earthen pots (p < 0.05). Gene expression analysis showed upregulation of HSP70 (∼2.8-4.9-fold), HSP83 (∼3.2-5.7-fold), and EcR (∼2.6-7-fold) in discarded tyres and plastic receptacles, whereas JHEH expression was higher in cement tanks and earthen pots (∼1.9-2-fold) and reduced in discarded tyres and plastic receptacles (∼0.57-0.66-fold). These findings provide new insights to breeding habitat-associated bionomics and molecular variation in Aedes albopictus.
Samal S, Hamdi H, Pati S et al. Molecular dynamics of candidate developmental genes across breeding habitats of dengue vector Aedes albopictus in Odisha, India. Acta tropica. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2026.108368. PMID: 42869153. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42869153/