A causative agent of human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The malaria parasite is\nunder intensive attack from the mosquito�s innate immune system during its sporogonic development. We have used\ngenetic engineering to create immune-enhanced Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes through blood meal-inducible expression\nof a transgene encoding the IMD pathway-controlled NF-kB Rel2 transcription factor in the midgut and fat-body tissue.\nTransgenic mosquitoes showed greater resistance to Plasmodium and microbial infection as a result of timely concerted\ntissue-specific immune attacks involving multiple effectors. The relatively weak impact of this genetic modification on\nmosquito fitness under laboratory conditions encourages further investigation of this approach for malaria control.
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