images of wild-type and CRISPR-edited Aedes togoi mosquitoes at the adult and pupal stages. kmo mutant mosquitoes exhibit markedly reduced pigment in the cuticle and eyes.
We are stoked to continue working with Aedes togoi in the lab, and are already taking baby steps towards making them genetically accessible. Ultimately, we hope to better understand what they have that so many other insects do not - an ability to survive the sea.
diagram of the rectum, anal canal, and anal papillae of an Aedes togoi mosquito larva, paired with a photo of a larva with its siphon at the surface of the water. the exaggerated anal canal can be clearly seen
Not content with just a genome, dream collaborators Andrea Durant and Elissa Khodikian (UW) dissected hundreds of 'salt glands' from the anal canals of Aedes togoi larvae to provide molecular insight into how these unique anatomical structures allow Aedes togoi to secrete salts and survive the sea
from totally fresh to 300% the salinity of seawater, from heat domes to frozen pools, Aedes togoi survive it all. M.Sc. student Jonathan Chiang spearheaded the creation of a genome assembly for the coastal rock pool mosquito Aedes togoi with former lab members Dan Peach, Orna Phelan, and Ana Parra.
adult Aedes togoi emerging from a pupal case on the surface of the water of a coastal rock pool
A view of Aedes togoi mosquito habitat on the coast of the Pacific Ocean: larvae and pupae can be found in rock pools at Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver, looking back over the water towards the University of British Columbia campus
2. Living by the sea: chromosome-scale genome assembly and salt gland transcriptomes provide insights into ion regulatory mechanisms in the saline-tolerant mosquito Aedes togoi.
A long time coming, our new favourite mosquito has a genome (and more)!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Huge shout out to Aleks (then an undergraduate Honours student), who along with Lauren Semkow, Annie Zeng, and Nick Tochor, has set the stage for what is now a major thrust of the lab - examining the molecular, cellular, and behavioural role of mechanosensory cues in guiding mosquito behaviour.
Data and representative images showing the results of two-choice behavioural assays where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes demonstrate a clear preference for laying eggs on rough surfaces
1. Surface texture guides egg-laying decisions in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Inspired by all who notice mosquitoes laying eggs on grooves and ridges, Aleksandra Anoshina invented an assay to show that Aedes aegypti prefer rough surfaces... unless they're salty
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Hello from Vancouver! Dusting off the bsky credentials to highlight two new mosquito preprints from the lab...
extremely proud of everyone who contributed and happy to have their work out for all to see. Lots of good stuff happening in the lab these days!
More below...
Agrawal lab logo. A fly in the UBC colors, with dots framing its body.
The Agrawal lab is moving! This January we will be setting up shop at #UBC in Vancouver, in the department of #Zoology! We are actively recruiting at all levels, especially masters and PhD students. These position are #funded! Please send anyone interested my way!
So cool… congrats Leah and team!
Mosquito Cell Atlas: A single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the adult Aedes aegypti mosquito www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02....
globally, there are ~3500 described mosquito species in the Culicidae family and many of these are important vectors of disease but only a small percentage have genomic resources. we are launching a pilot project to generate high quality reference genomes for 100 important mosquito species [1/3]
happy to hear everyone and your pad in Sierra Madre is OK - but sorry I won't get that tour of Chaney in its original state... take care, mate
I created a starter pack highlighting Women in the field of Disease Vector Biology and Ecology: go.bsky.app/E7wuQus Please share and let me know if you’d like to be added! 🦟🦠🪰
Mosquitoes: the photo gallery.
I feel better about posting this in the off-season, for some reason (*scratches*)
Congratulations to newly- minted UBC Zoology PhD graduate Dr. Jarrett Blair!
Sharing my new paper again since moving from the other place 🙂 We shed light on some of the most rapidly evolving animal behaviors—those surrounding mating.
Exciting for this to finally be online! Was a privilege to be part of such a great international team. Excellent phylogenetic comparative work by @genmorinaga.bsky.social to cap it all off!
dinner at Judith's!
I had a great visit / thanks for your hospitality!
Had a great time hosting @benmatthewslab.bsky.social at UCVM! A great seminar and excellent conversations. Thanks for helping us launch our new Comparative Biology and Animal Health seminar series!