Visualization of the Linear and Spatial Organization of Chromosomes in Mosquitoes
- 1Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA
- 2Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
- 3Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics of Insects, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- ↵4Correspondence: msharakh{at}vt.edu
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors of dangerous human diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, West Nile fever, and lymphatic filariasis. Visualization of the linear and spatial organization of mosquito chromosomes is important for understanding genome structure and function. Utilization of chromosomal inversions as markers for population genetics studies yields insights into mosquito adaptation and evolution. Cytogenetic approaches assist with the development of chromosome-scale genome assemblies that are useful tools for studying mosquito biology and for designing novel vector control strategies. Fluorescence in situ hybridization is a powerful technique for localizing specific DNA sequences within the linear chromosome structure and within the spatial organization of the cell nucleus. Here, we introduce protocols used in our laboratories for chromosome visualization and their application in mosquitoes.
Footnotes
-
From the Mosquitoes collection, edited by Laura B. Duvall and Benjamin J. Matthews.
