Open AccessDirect and indirect gene repression by the ecdysone cascade during mosquito reproductive cycle
Author(s) -
Sourav Roy,
Tusar T. Saha,
Jisu Ha,
Roumik Banerjee,
Emre Aksoy,
Aditi Kulkarni,
Alexander S. Raikhel
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2116787119
Subject(s) - psychological repression , ecdysone receptor , ecdysone , corepressor , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , chromatin , 20 hydroxyecdysone , regulation of gene expression , genetics , nuclear receptor , gene expression , transcription factor
Significance HematophagousAedes aegypti mosquitoes spread devastating viral diseases. Upon blood feeding, a steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), initiates a reproductive program during which thousands of genes are differentially expressed. While 20E-mediated gene activation is well known, repressive action by this hormone remains poorly understood. Using bioinformatics and molecular biological approaches, we have identified the mechanisms of 20E-dependent direct and indirect transcriptional repression by the ecdysone receptor (EcR). While indirect repression involves E74, EcR binds to an ecdysone response element different from those utilized in 20E-mediated gene activation to exert direct repressive action. Moreover, liganded EcR recruits a corepressor Mi2, initiating chromatin compaction. This study advances our understanding of the 20E-EcR repression mechanism and could lead to improved vector control approaches.