Link to Pubmed [PMID] – 40588214
Link to DOI – 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101406
Curr Opin Insect Sci 2025 Oct; 71(): 101406
Decoding mosquito genomes is essential for understanding their role as vectors of human pathogens. Transposable elements (TEs), once considered ‘junk DNA’, are now recognized as key drivers of genomic plasticity and evolution. These mobile DNA fragments are more abundant in culicine than anopheline mosquitoes, influencing their genome size and complexity. TEs may contribute to mosquito adaptation, influencing traits such as insecticide resistance and habitat expansion. Recent advances in long-read sequencing technologies and functional assays are uncovering TE dynamics, but challenges remain in measuring and manipulating their activity, which is critical to demonstrate their phenotypic effects. Further research into the environmental and biological conditions that activate TEs in mosquitoes, as well as the host mechanisms of TE regulation, such as small RNA pathways, will significantly enhance our understanding of mosquito biology.