Determination of the spatial and temporal effects of Wolbachia and viruses on lipid metabolism in mosquitoes using Raman and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS)
Supervisors:
Prof Steven Sinkins, School of Infection and Immunity (University of Glasgow)
Prof Karen Faulds, Pure and Applied Chemistry (University of Strathclyde)
Summary:
The incidence of arthropod borne viruses has dramatically increased in recent decades across the tropics. The intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, when transferred to Aedes mosquitoes can effectively block several arboviruses from being transmitted by the mosquito and is being increasingly utilized as a control strategy. The mechanisms behind Wolbachia mediated viral inhibition are not fully understood but are critical to the future success of control strategies. We know that lipid metabolism is crucial to the ability for arboviruses to replicate in the mosquito and therefore be transmitted, but very little is understood about the dynamics of these interactions in the vector. Wolbachia also requires lipids to replicate and some strains cause distinct perturbations in lipid metabolism. This studentship will utilize an interdisciplinary collaboration to determine the spatial and temporal effects that viral infection and Wolbachia have on lipid metabolism in mosquitoes using Raman and stimulated Raman (SRS) spectroscopy. Results from the project will be utilized to determine which metabolites/pathways are crucial for viral replication and how we can manipulate them to control arboviruses.