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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases are a group of illnesses caused by pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes, and they are globally prevalent, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Pathogen transmission occurs during mosquito blood feeding, a process in which mosquito saliva plays a crucial role. Mosquito saliva contains a variety of biologically active proteins that facilitate blood feeding by preventing blood clotting, promoting vasodilation, and modulating the host’s immune and inflammatory responses. These effects create an environment conducive to pathogen invasion and dissemination. Specific mosquito salivary proteins (MSPs) can promote pathogen transmission through mechanisms that either regulate hosts’ anti-infective immune responses or directly enhance pathogens’ activity. Strategies targeting these MSPs have emerged as an innovative and promising approach for the control of mosquito-borne diseases. Meanwhile, the diversity of these proteins and their complex interactions with the host immune system necessitate further research to develop safer and more effective interventions. This review examines the functional diversity of MSPs and their roles in disease transmission, discusses the advantages and challenges of strategies targeting these proteins, and explores potential future directions for research in this area.

Details

Title
Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of Mosquito Salivary Proteins: New Frontiers in Disease Transmission and Control
Author
Guo, Jiayin 1 ; He, Xiaoe 1 ; Tao, Jianli 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sun, Hui 1 ; Yang, Jing 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Cuiying Biomedical Research Center, The Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (X.H.); [email protected] (H.S.) 
 Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; [email protected] 
First page
82
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
2218273X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3159418225
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.