Effect of temperature on the transcriptome of the arboviral vector Aedes albopictus (Effetti della temperatura sul trascrittoma del vettore arbovirale Aedes albopictus)

Aedes albopictus was first detected in Italy in 1991 in the port of Genoa and it rapidly spread throughout the country. Italy is characterized by a temperate climate with a clear seasonality that translates into a seasonal emergence and activity of mosquitoes. When mosquito emerge in late spring (May-June), temperature averages between 16-18ºC, while in summer temperature averages 24-25 ºC, with picks above 30ºC. Temperatures at the time of mosquito emergence and during the pick of summer have already been proven to be thermal stressor linked to modulation in immunity gene expression and susceptibility to viral infection. This suggests that the global expression profile of mosquitoes in spring may be different than that of summer mosquitoes, which may potentially affect their vector competence or response to insecticides. We test this idea in this study by analyzing the transcriptome profile of mosquitoes reared at 18ºC, 28ºC and 32ºC.