Professor Steven Sinkins
- Professor in Microbiology and Tropical Medicine (Virology)
telephone:
0141 3302876
email:
Steven.Sinkins@glasgow.ac.uk
MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Henry Wellcome Building, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH
Research interests
Mosquitoes transmit some of the world’s most serious infections; epidemic viral diseases such as dengue impose huge health burdens across the tropics. Effective vaccines are not available for most mosquito-borne pathogens, and control of the mosquito vectors has long been a focus of disease prevention.
Wolbachia are inherited intracellular bacteria that can manipulate host insect reproduction, especially by inducing patterns of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility, allowing population invasion. It occurs naturally in many mosquito species, and certain introduced strains have been found to strongly inhibit the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue and Zika.
We are interested in how this inhibition occurs, how it can be used in disease control, and how Wolbachia manipulate their hosts.
Publications
2024
Lefteri, D. A. , Rainey, S. M., Murdochy, S. M. and Sinkins, S. (2024) Bunyamwera virus infection of Wolbachia-carrying aedes aegypti mosquitoes reduces Wolbachia density. Viruses, 16(8), 1336. (doi: 10.3390/v16081336)
Mancini, M. V., Murdochy, S. M., Bilgo, E., Ant, T. H., Gingell, D., Gnambani, E. J., Failloux, A.-B., Diabate, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Wolbachia strain wAlbB shows favourable characteristics for dengue control use in Aedes aegypti from Burkina Faso. Environmental Microbiology, 26(3), e16588. (doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16588) (PMID:38450576)
Hoffmann, A. A. et al. (2024) Introduction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wAlbB Wolbachia sharply decreases dengue incidence in disease hotspots. iScience, 27(2), 108942. (doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108942) (PMID:38327789) (PMCID:PMC10847733)
McNamara, C. J., Ant, T. J., Harvey-Samuel, T., White-Cooper, H., Martinez, J. , Alphey, L. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Transgenic expression of cif genes from Wolbachia strain wAlbB recapitulates cytoplasmic incompatibility in Aedes aegypti. Nature Communications, 15, 869. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45238-7) (PMID:38287029) (PMCID:PMC10825118)
Rainey, S. M., Lefteri, D. A. , Darby, C., Kohl, A. , Merits, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Evidence of differences in cellular regulation of Wolbachia-mediated viral inhibition between alphaviruses and flaviviruses. Viruses, 16(1), 115. (doi: 10.3390/v16010115) (PMID:38257815) (PMCID:PMC10818798)
2023
Rainey, S. M., Geoghegan, V., Lefteri, D. A. , Ant, T. H., Martinez, J. , McNamara, C. J., Kamel, W. , de Laurent, Z. R., Castello, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2023) Differences in proteome perturbations caused by the Wolbachia strain wAu suggest multiple mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral activity. Scientific Reports, 13, 11737. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38127-4) (PMID:37474590) (PMCID:PMC10359319)
Ant, T. H., Mancini, M. V., McNamara, C. J., Rainey, S. M. and Sinkins, S. P. (2023) Wolbachia-virus interactions and arbovirus control through population replacement in mosquitoes. Pathogens and Global Health, 117(3), pp. 245-258. (doi: 10.1080/20477724.2022.2117939) (PMID:36205550) (PMCID:PMC10081064)
Cheong, Y. L. et al. (2023) Spatial distribution and long-term persistence of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti in the Mentari Court, Malaysia. Insects, 14(4), 373. (doi: 10.3390/insects14040373) (PMID:37103189) (PMCID:PMC10146232)
Mancini, M. V. et al. (2023) Evaluation of an engineered Zika virus-like particle vaccine candidate in a mosquito-mouse transmission model. mSphere, 8(2), e00564-22. (doi: 10.1128/msphere.00564-22) (PMID:36840596) (PMCID:PMC10117074)
2022
Martinez, J. , Ross, P. A., Gu, X., Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M., Tong, L., da Silva Filipe, A. , Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2022) Genomic and phenotypic comparisons reveal distinct variants of Wolbachia strain wAlbB. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88(22), e0141222. (doi: 10.1128/aem.01412-22) (PMID:36318064) (PMCID:PMC9680635)
Martinez, J. , Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M., Tong, L., da Silva Filipe, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2022) Genome sequencing and comparative analysis of Wolbachia strain wAlbA reveals Wolbachia-associated plasmids are common. PLoS Genetics, 18(9), e1010406. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010406) (PMID:36121852) (PMCID:PMC9560607)
2021
Ahmad, N. A., Mancini, M.-V., Ant, T. H., Martinez, J. , Kamarul, G. M.R., Nazni, W. A., Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2021) Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376(1818), 20190809. (doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0809) (PMID:33357050) (PMCID:PMC7776933)
Mancini, M. V., Ant, T. H., Herd, C. S., Martinez, J. , Murdochy, S. M., Gingell, D. D., Mararo, E., Johnson, P. C. D. and Sinkins, S. (2021) High temperature cycles result in maternal transmission and dengue infection differences between Wolbachia strains in Aedes aegypti. mBio, 12(6), e00250-21. (doi: 10.1128/mBio.00250-21) (PMCID:PMC8576525)
2020
Ant, T. H., Mancini, M.-V., Martinez, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2020) Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported. Nature Communications, 11, 6111. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19830-6) (PMID:33257651) (PMCID:PMC7705685)
Ahmad, N. A. et al. (2020) Characterization of sodium channel mutations in the dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus within the context of ongoing Wolbachia releases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Insects, 11(8), 529. (doi: 10.3390/insects11080529) (PMID:32823726) (PMCID:PMC7469223)
Herren, J. K. et al. (2020) A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes. Nature Communications, 11, 2187. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16121-y) (PMID:32366903) (PMCID:PMC7198529)
Mancini, M. V., Herd, C. S., Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M. and Sinkins, S. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14(3), e0007926. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007926) (PMID:32155143) (PMCID:PMC7083328)
Chouin‐Carneiro, T., Ant, T.H., Herd, C., Louis, F., Failloux, A.B. and Sinkins, S.P. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAlbA blocks Zika virus transmission in Aedes aegypti. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 34(1), pp. 116-119. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12384) (PMID:31120156) (PMCID:PMC7027442)
Ant, T.H., Herd, C., Louis, F., Failloux, A.B. and Sinkins, S.P. (2020) Wolbachia transinfections in Culex quinquefasciatus generate cytoplasmic incompatibility. Insect Molecular Biology, 29(1), pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1111/imb.12604) (PMID:31194893) (PMCID:PMC7027843)
2019
Nazni, W. A. et al. (2019) Establishment of Wolbachia strain wAlbB in Malaysian populations of Aedes aegypti for dengue control. Current Biology, 29(24), 4241-4248.e5. (doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.007) (PMID:31761702) (PMCID:PMC6926472)
Rihn, S. J. et al. (2019) TRIM69 inhibits vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSIV). Journal of Virology, 93(20), e00951-19. (doi: 10.1128/JVI.00951-19) (PMID:31375575)
Jasper, M., Schmidt, T. L., Ahmad, N. W., Sinkins, S. P. and Hoffmann, A. A. (2019) A genomic approach to inferring kinship reveals limited intergenerational dispersal in the yellow fever mosquito. Molecular Ecology Resources, 19(5), pp. 1254-1264. (doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.13043) (PMID:31125998) (PMCID:PMC6790672)
2018
Sinkins, S. P. and Ant, T. H. (2018) A Wolbachia triple-strain infection generates self-incompatibility in Aedes albopictus and transmission instability in Aedes aegypti. Parasites and Vectors, 11, 295. (doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2870-0) (PMID:29751814) (PMCID:PMC5948879)
Ant, T. H., Herd, C. S., Geoghegan, V., Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2018) The Wolbachia strain wAu provides highly efficient virus transmission blocking in Aedes aegypti. PLoS Pathogens, 14(1), e1006815. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006815) (PMID:29370307) (PMCID:PMC5784998)
2017
Chepkemoi, S. T., Mararo, E., Butungi, H., Paredes, J., Masiga, D., Sinkins, S. P. and Herren, J. K. (2017) Identification of Spiroplasma insolitum symbionts in Anopheles gambiae. Wellcome Open Research, 2, 90. (doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.12468.1) (PMID:29152597) (PMCID:PMC5668936)
Geoghegan, V., Stainton, K., Rainey, S. M., Ant, T. H., Dowle, A. A., Larson, T., Hester, S., Charles, P. D., Thomas, B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2017) Perturbed cholesterol and vesicular trafficking associated with dengue blocking in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti cells. Nature Communications, 8, 526. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00610-8) (PMID:28904344) (PMCID:PMC5597582)
2016
Sinkins, S. P. (2016) Yob makes mosquitoes male. Science, 353(6294), pp. 33-34. (doi: 10.1126/science.aag1012) (PMID:27365441)
Molloy, J. C., Sommer, U., Viant, M. R. and Sinkins, S. P. (2016) Wolbachia modulates lipid metabolism in Aedes albopictus mosquito cells. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82(10), pp. 3109-3120. (doi: 10.1128/AEM.00275-16) (PMID:26994075) (PMCID:PMC4959074)
2015
Molloy, J. c. and Sinkins, S. P. (2015) Wolbachia do not induce reactive oxygen species-dependent immune pathway activation in Aedes albopictus. Viruses, 7(8), pp. 4624-4639. (doi: 10.3390/v7082836) (PMID:26287231) (PMCID:PMC4576197)
2014
Sutton, E. R., Harris, S. R., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2014) Comparative genome analysis of Wolbachia strain wAu. BMC Genomics, 15, 928. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-928) (PMID:25341639) (PMCID:PMC4223829)
Hapairai, L. K., Marie, J., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2014) Effect of temperature and larval density on Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) laboratory rearing productivity and male characteristics. Acta Tropica, 132(Suppl), S108-S115. (doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.11.024) (PMID:24316237)
2013
Pinto, S. B., Stainton, K., Harris, S., Kambris, Z., Sutton, E. R., Bonsall, M. B., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2013) Transcriptional regulation of culex pipiens mosquitoes by wolbachia influences cytoplasmic incompatibility. PLoS Pathogens, 9(10), e1003647. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003647) (PMID:24204251) (PMCID:PMC3814344)
Sinkins, S. P. (2013) Wolbachia and arbovirus inhibition in mosquitoes. Future Microbiology, 8(10), pp. 1249-1256. (doi: 10.2217/fmb.13.95) (PMID:24059916)
Hapairai, L. K., Sang, M. A. C., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2013) Population studies of the filarial vector Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) in two island settings of French Polynesia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(5), pp. 965-976. (doi: 10.1603/ME12246) (PMID:24180100)
Hapairai, L. K., Joseph, H., Sang, M. A. C., Melrose, W., Ritchie, S. A., Burkot, T. R., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2013) Field evaluation of selected traps and lures for monitoring the filarial and arbovirus vector, Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae), in French Polynesia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(4), pp. 731-739. (doi: 10.1603/ME12270) (PMID:23926770)
Blagrove, M. S.C., Arias-Goeta, C., Di Genua, C., Failloux, A.-B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2013) A Wolbachia wMel transinfection in Aedes albopictus is not detrimental to host fitness and inhibits Chikungunya virus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 7(3), e2152. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002152) (PMID:23556030) (PMCID:PMC3610642)
2012
Pinto, S. B., Mariconti, M., Bazzocchi, C., Bandi, C. and Sinkins, S. P. (2012) Wolbachia surface protein induces innate immune responses in mosquito cells. BMC Microbiology, 12(Suppl), S11. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-S1-S11) (PMID:22375833) (PMCID:PMC3287508)
Blagrove, M. S.C., Arias-Goeta, C., Failloux, A.-B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2012) Wolbachia strain wMel induces cytoplasmic incompatibility and blocks dengue transmission in Aedes albopictus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(1), pp. 255-260. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1112021108) (PMID:22123944) (PMCID:PMC3252941)
2011
Sinkins, S. P. (2011) Invertebrate post-segregation distorters: a new embryo-killing gene. PLoS Biology, 9(7), e1001114. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001114) (PMID:21814492) (PMCID:PMC3144190)
Hancock, P. A., Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2011) Strategies for introducing Wolbachia to reduce transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 5(4), e1024. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001024) (PMID:21541357) (PMCID:PMC3082501)
Hancock, P. A., Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2011) Population dynamic models of the spread of Wolbachia. American Naturalist, 177(3), pp. 323-333. (doi: 10.1086/658121) (PMID:21460541)
2010
Kambris, Z., Blagborough, A. M., Pinto, S. B., Blagrove, M. S.C., Godfray, H. C. J., Sinden, R. E. and Sinkins, S. P. (2010) Wolbachia stimulates immune gene expression and inhibits plasmodium development in Anopheles gambiae. PLoS Pathogens, 6(10), e1001143. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001143) (PMID:20949079) (PMCID:PMC2951381)
2009
Kambris, Z., Cook, P. E., Phuc, H. K. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Immune activation by life-shortening Wolbachia and reduced filarial competence in mosquitoes. Science, 326(5949), pp. 134-136. (doi: 10.1126/science.1177531) (PMID:19797660) (PMCID:PMC2867033)
Walker, T., Song, S. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Wolbachia in the Culex pipiens group mosquitoes: introgression and superinfection. Journal of Heredity, 100(2), pp. 192-196. (doi: 10.1093/jhered/esn079) (PMID:18836146) (PMCID:PMC2726571)
Klasson, L., Kambris, Z., Cook, P. E., Walker, T. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Horizontal gene transfer between Wolbachia and the mosquito Aedes aegypti. BMC Genomics, 10, 33. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-33) (PMID:19154594) (PMCID:PMC2647948)
2008
Klasson, L. et al. (2008) Genome evolution of Wolbachia strain wPip from the Culex pipiens group. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25(9), pp. 1877-1887. (doi: 10.1093/molbev/msn133) (PMID:18550617) (PMCID:PMC2515876)
2007
Walker, T., Klasson, L., Sebaihia, M., Sanders, M. J., Thomson, N. R., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2007) Ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes in the wPip strain of Wolbachia from the Culex pipiens group. BMC Biology, 5, 39. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7007-5-39) (PMID:17883830) (PMCID:PMC2045654)
Nene, V. et al. (2007) Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector. Science, 316(5832), pp. 1718-1723. (doi: 10.1126/science.1138878) (PMID:17510324) (PMCID:PMC2868357)
2006
Sinkins, S. P. and Gould, F. (2006) Gene drive systems for insect disease vectors. Nature Reviews Genetics, 7(6), pp. 427-435. (doi: 10.1038/nrg1870) (PMID:16682981)
2005
Sinkins, S. P. , Walker, T., Lynd, A. R., Steven, A. R., Makepeace, B. L., Godfray, H. C. J. and Parkhill, J. (2005) Wolbachia variability and host effects on crossing type in Culex mosquitoes. Nature, 436(7048), pp. 257-260. (doi: 10.1038/nature03629) (PMID:16015330)
2004
Sinkins, S. P. and Hastings, I. M. (2004) Male-specific insecticide resistance and mosquito transgene dispersal. Trends in Parasitology, 20(9), pp. 413-416. (doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2004.07.003) (PMID:15324731)
Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2004) Use of Wolbachia to drive nuclear transgenes through insect populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 271(1546), pp. 1421-1426. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2740) (PMID:15306342) (PMCID:PMC1691734)
Sinkins, S. P. (2004) Wolbachia and cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 34(7), pp. 723-729. (doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.03.025) (PMID:15242714)
Articles
Lefteri, D. A. , Rainey, S. M., Murdochy, S. M. and Sinkins, S. (2024) Bunyamwera virus infection of Wolbachia-carrying aedes aegypti mosquitoes reduces Wolbachia density. Viruses, 16(8), 1336. (doi: 10.3390/v16081336)
Mancini, M. V., Murdochy, S. M., Bilgo, E., Ant, T. H., Gingell, D., Gnambani, E. J., Failloux, A.-B., Diabate, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Wolbachia strain wAlbB shows favourable characteristics for dengue control use in Aedes aegypti from Burkina Faso. Environmental Microbiology, 26(3), e16588. (doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16588) (PMID:38450576)
Hoffmann, A. A. et al. (2024) Introduction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wAlbB Wolbachia sharply decreases dengue incidence in disease hotspots. iScience, 27(2), 108942. (doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108942) (PMID:38327789) (PMCID:PMC10847733)
McNamara, C. J., Ant, T. J., Harvey-Samuel, T., White-Cooper, H., Martinez, J. , Alphey, L. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Transgenic expression of cif genes from Wolbachia strain wAlbB recapitulates cytoplasmic incompatibility in Aedes aegypti. Nature Communications, 15, 869. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45238-7) (PMID:38287029) (PMCID:PMC10825118)
Rainey, S. M., Lefteri, D. A. , Darby, C., Kohl, A. , Merits, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2024) Evidence of differences in cellular regulation of Wolbachia-mediated viral inhibition between alphaviruses and flaviviruses. Viruses, 16(1), 115. (doi: 10.3390/v16010115) (PMID:38257815) (PMCID:PMC10818798)
Rainey, S. M., Geoghegan, V., Lefteri, D. A. , Ant, T. H., Martinez, J. , McNamara, C. J., Kamel, W. , de Laurent, Z. R., Castello, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2023) Differences in proteome perturbations caused by the Wolbachia strain wAu suggest multiple mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral activity. Scientific Reports, 13, 11737. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38127-4) (PMID:37474590) (PMCID:PMC10359319)
Ant, T. H., Mancini, M. V., McNamara, C. J., Rainey, S. M. and Sinkins, S. P. (2023) Wolbachia-virus interactions and arbovirus control through population replacement in mosquitoes. Pathogens and Global Health, 117(3), pp. 245-258. (doi: 10.1080/20477724.2022.2117939) (PMID:36205550) (PMCID:PMC10081064)
Cheong, Y. L. et al. (2023) Spatial distribution and long-term persistence of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti in the Mentari Court, Malaysia. Insects, 14(4), 373. (doi: 10.3390/insects14040373) (PMID:37103189) (PMCID:PMC10146232)
Mancini, M. V. et al. (2023) Evaluation of an engineered Zika virus-like particle vaccine candidate in a mosquito-mouse transmission model. mSphere, 8(2), e00564-22. (doi: 10.1128/msphere.00564-22) (PMID:36840596) (PMCID:PMC10117074)
Martinez, J. , Ross, P. A., Gu, X., Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M., Tong, L., da Silva Filipe, A. , Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2022) Genomic and phenotypic comparisons reveal distinct variants of Wolbachia strain wAlbB. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88(22), e0141222. (doi: 10.1128/aem.01412-22) (PMID:36318064) (PMCID:PMC9680635)
Martinez, J. , Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M., Tong, L., da Silva Filipe, A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2022) Genome sequencing and comparative analysis of Wolbachia strain wAlbA reveals Wolbachia-associated plasmids are common. PLoS Genetics, 18(9), e1010406. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010406) (PMID:36121852) (PMCID:PMC9560607)
Ahmad, N. A., Mancini, M.-V., Ant, T. H., Martinez, J. , Kamarul, G. M.R., Nazni, W. A., Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2021) Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376(1818), 20190809. (doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0809) (PMID:33357050) (PMCID:PMC7776933)
Mancini, M. V., Ant, T. H., Herd, C. S., Martinez, J. , Murdochy, S. M., Gingell, D. D., Mararo, E., Johnson, P. C. D. and Sinkins, S. (2021) High temperature cycles result in maternal transmission and dengue infection differences between Wolbachia strains in Aedes aegypti. mBio, 12(6), e00250-21. (doi: 10.1128/mBio.00250-21) (PMCID:PMC8576525)
Ant, T. H., Mancini, M.-V., Martinez, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2020) Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported. Nature Communications, 11, 6111. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19830-6) (PMID:33257651) (PMCID:PMC7705685)
Ahmad, N. A. et al. (2020) Characterization of sodium channel mutations in the dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus within the context of ongoing Wolbachia releases in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Insects, 11(8), 529. (doi: 10.3390/insects11080529) (PMID:32823726) (PMCID:PMC7469223)
Herren, J. K. et al. (2020) A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes. Nature Communications, 11, 2187. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16121-y) (PMID:32366903) (PMCID:PMC7198529)
Mancini, M. V., Herd, C. S., Ant, T. H., Murdochy, S. M. and Sinkins, S. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14(3), e0007926. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007926) (PMID:32155143) (PMCID:PMC7083328)
Chouin‐Carneiro, T., Ant, T.H., Herd, C., Louis, F., Failloux, A.B. and Sinkins, S.P. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAlbA blocks Zika virus transmission in Aedes aegypti. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 34(1), pp. 116-119. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12384) (PMID:31120156) (PMCID:PMC7027442)
Ant, T.H., Herd, C., Louis, F., Failloux, A.B. and Sinkins, S.P. (2020) Wolbachia transinfections in Culex quinquefasciatus generate cytoplasmic incompatibility. Insect Molecular Biology, 29(1), pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1111/imb.12604) (PMID:31194893) (PMCID:PMC7027843)
Nazni, W. A. et al. (2019) Establishment of Wolbachia strain wAlbB in Malaysian populations of Aedes aegypti for dengue control. Current Biology, 29(24), 4241-4248.e5. (doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.007) (PMID:31761702) (PMCID:PMC6926472)
Rihn, S. J. et al. (2019) TRIM69 inhibits vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSIV). Journal of Virology, 93(20), e00951-19. (doi: 10.1128/JVI.00951-19) (PMID:31375575)
Jasper, M., Schmidt, T. L., Ahmad, N. W., Sinkins, S. P. and Hoffmann, A. A. (2019) A genomic approach to inferring kinship reveals limited intergenerational dispersal in the yellow fever mosquito. Molecular Ecology Resources, 19(5), pp. 1254-1264. (doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.13043) (PMID:31125998) (PMCID:PMC6790672)
Sinkins, S. P. and Ant, T. H. (2018) A Wolbachia triple-strain infection generates self-incompatibility in Aedes albopictus and transmission instability in Aedes aegypti. Parasites and Vectors, 11, 295. (doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2870-0) (PMID:29751814) (PMCID:PMC5948879)
Ant, T. H., Herd, C. S., Geoghegan, V., Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. P. (2018) The Wolbachia strain wAu provides highly efficient virus transmission blocking in Aedes aegypti. PLoS Pathogens, 14(1), e1006815. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006815) (PMID:29370307) (PMCID:PMC5784998)
Chepkemoi, S. T., Mararo, E., Butungi, H., Paredes, J., Masiga, D., Sinkins, S. P. and Herren, J. K. (2017) Identification of Spiroplasma insolitum symbionts in Anopheles gambiae. Wellcome Open Research, 2, 90. (doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.12468.1) (PMID:29152597) (PMCID:PMC5668936)
Geoghegan, V., Stainton, K., Rainey, S. M., Ant, T. H., Dowle, A. A., Larson, T., Hester, S., Charles, P. D., Thomas, B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2017) Perturbed cholesterol and vesicular trafficking associated with dengue blocking in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti cells. Nature Communications, 8, 526. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00610-8) (PMID:28904344) (PMCID:PMC5597582)
Sinkins, S. P. (2016) Yob makes mosquitoes male. Science, 353(6294), pp. 33-34. (doi: 10.1126/science.aag1012) (PMID:27365441)
Molloy, J. C., Sommer, U., Viant, M. R. and Sinkins, S. P. (2016) Wolbachia modulates lipid metabolism in Aedes albopictus mosquito cells. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82(10), pp. 3109-3120. (doi: 10.1128/AEM.00275-16) (PMID:26994075) (PMCID:PMC4959074)
Molloy, J. c. and Sinkins, S. P. (2015) Wolbachia do not induce reactive oxygen species-dependent immune pathway activation in Aedes albopictus. Viruses, 7(8), pp. 4624-4639. (doi: 10.3390/v7082836) (PMID:26287231) (PMCID:PMC4576197)
Sutton, E. R., Harris, S. R., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2014) Comparative genome analysis of Wolbachia strain wAu. BMC Genomics, 15, 928. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-928) (PMID:25341639) (PMCID:PMC4223829)
Hapairai, L. K., Marie, J., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2014) Effect of temperature and larval density on Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) laboratory rearing productivity and male characteristics. Acta Tropica, 132(Suppl), S108-S115. (doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.11.024) (PMID:24316237)
Pinto, S. B., Stainton, K., Harris, S., Kambris, Z., Sutton, E. R., Bonsall, M. B., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2013) Transcriptional regulation of culex pipiens mosquitoes by wolbachia influences cytoplasmic incompatibility. PLoS Pathogens, 9(10), e1003647. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003647) (PMID:24204251) (PMCID:PMC3814344)
Sinkins, S. P. (2013) Wolbachia and arbovirus inhibition in mosquitoes. Future Microbiology, 8(10), pp. 1249-1256. (doi: 10.2217/fmb.13.95) (PMID:24059916)
Hapairai, L. K., Sang, M. A. C., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2013) Population studies of the filarial vector Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) in two island settings of French Polynesia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(5), pp. 965-976. (doi: 10.1603/ME12246) (PMID:24180100)
Hapairai, L. K., Joseph, H., Sang, M. A. C., Melrose, W., Ritchie, S. A., Burkot, T. R., Sinkins, S. P. and Bossin, H. C. (2013) Field evaluation of selected traps and lures for monitoring the filarial and arbovirus vector, Aedes polynesiensis (Diptera: Culicidae), in French Polynesia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(4), pp. 731-739. (doi: 10.1603/ME12270) (PMID:23926770)
Blagrove, M. S.C., Arias-Goeta, C., Di Genua, C., Failloux, A.-B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2013) A Wolbachia wMel transinfection in Aedes albopictus is not detrimental to host fitness and inhibits Chikungunya virus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 7(3), e2152. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002152) (PMID:23556030) (PMCID:PMC3610642)
Pinto, S. B., Mariconti, M., Bazzocchi, C., Bandi, C. and Sinkins, S. P. (2012) Wolbachia surface protein induces innate immune responses in mosquito cells. BMC Microbiology, 12(Suppl), S11. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-S1-S11) (PMID:22375833) (PMCID:PMC3287508)
Blagrove, M. S.C., Arias-Goeta, C., Failloux, A.-B. and Sinkins, S. P. (2012) Wolbachia strain wMel induces cytoplasmic incompatibility and blocks dengue transmission in Aedes albopictus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(1), pp. 255-260. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1112021108) (PMID:22123944) (PMCID:PMC3252941)
Sinkins, S. P. (2011) Invertebrate post-segregation distorters: a new embryo-killing gene. PLoS Biology, 9(7), e1001114. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001114) (PMID:21814492) (PMCID:PMC3144190)
Hancock, P. A., Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2011) Strategies for introducing Wolbachia to reduce transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 5(4), e1024. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001024) (PMID:21541357) (PMCID:PMC3082501)
Hancock, P. A., Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2011) Population dynamic models of the spread of Wolbachia. American Naturalist, 177(3), pp. 323-333. (doi: 10.1086/658121) (PMID:21460541)
Kambris, Z., Blagborough, A. M., Pinto, S. B., Blagrove, M. S.C., Godfray, H. C. J., Sinden, R. E. and Sinkins, S. P. (2010) Wolbachia stimulates immune gene expression and inhibits plasmodium development in Anopheles gambiae. PLoS Pathogens, 6(10), e1001143. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001143) (PMID:20949079) (PMCID:PMC2951381)
Kambris, Z., Cook, P. E., Phuc, H. K. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Immune activation by life-shortening Wolbachia and reduced filarial competence in mosquitoes. Science, 326(5949), pp. 134-136. (doi: 10.1126/science.1177531) (PMID:19797660) (PMCID:PMC2867033)
Walker, T., Song, S. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Wolbachia in the Culex pipiens group mosquitoes: introgression and superinfection. Journal of Heredity, 100(2), pp. 192-196. (doi: 10.1093/jhered/esn079) (PMID:18836146) (PMCID:PMC2726571)
Klasson, L., Kambris, Z., Cook, P. E., Walker, T. and Sinkins, S. P. (2009) Horizontal gene transfer between Wolbachia and the mosquito Aedes aegypti. BMC Genomics, 10, 33. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-33) (PMID:19154594) (PMCID:PMC2647948)
Klasson, L. et al. (2008) Genome evolution of Wolbachia strain wPip from the Culex pipiens group. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25(9), pp. 1877-1887. (doi: 10.1093/molbev/msn133) (PMID:18550617) (PMCID:PMC2515876)
Walker, T., Klasson, L., Sebaihia, M., Sanders, M. J., Thomson, N. R., Parkhill, J. and Sinkins, S. P. (2007) Ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes in the wPip strain of Wolbachia from the Culex pipiens group. BMC Biology, 5, 39. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7007-5-39) (PMID:17883830) (PMCID:PMC2045654)
Nene, V. et al. (2007) Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector. Science, 316(5832), pp. 1718-1723. (doi: 10.1126/science.1138878) (PMID:17510324) (PMCID:PMC2868357)
Sinkins, S. P. and Gould, F. (2006) Gene drive systems for insect disease vectors. Nature Reviews Genetics, 7(6), pp. 427-435. (doi: 10.1038/nrg1870) (PMID:16682981)
Sinkins, S. P. , Walker, T., Lynd, A. R., Steven, A. R., Makepeace, B. L., Godfray, H. C. J. and Parkhill, J. (2005) Wolbachia variability and host effects on crossing type in Culex mosquitoes. Nature, 436(7048), pp. 257-260. (doi: 10.1038/nature03629) (PMID:16015330)
Sinkins, S. P. and Hastings, I. M. (2004) Male-specific insecticide resistance and mosquito transgene dispersal. Trends in Parasitology, 20(9), pp. 413-416. (doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2004.07.003) (PMID:15324731)
Sinkins, S. P. and Godfray, H. C. J. (2004) Use of Wolbachia to drive nuclear transgenes through insect populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 271(1546), pp. 1421-1426. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2740) (PMID:15306342) (PMCID:PMC1691734)
Sinkins, S. P. (2004) Wolbachia and cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 34(7), pp. 723-729. (doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.03.025) (PMID:15242714)
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- To support research on the relevant biological properties of a microsporidian species (MB) that has been shown to prevent transmission of the malaria plasmodium from Anopheles mosquitoes to humans.
Open Philanthropy Project
2023 - 2026
- Optimal implementation of Wolbachia wAlbB programmes for dengue control
Wellcome Trust
2022 - 2027
- ANTI-VeC Network Continuation
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
2022 - 2023
- CVR-Pirbright Partnerhsip
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
2021 - 2023
- Microsporidia MB symbionts for malaria control
Open Philanthropy Project
2020 - 2023
- ANTI-VeC Small Grants: Microsporidia MB Africa-wide Survey
Open Philanthropy Project
2020 - 2023
- Genetic and symbiotic strategies for vector-borne disease control
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
2017 - 2020
- Endosymbiotic Bacteria and Vector Competence: The Effects of Harboring Spiroplasma on the Biology of Anopheles Mosquitos
Wellcome Trust
2017 - 2019
- SFC-GCRF: Microbe-based Malaria transmission blocking in Anopheles mosquitoes
Scottish Funding Council
2016 - 2017
- Wolbachia-based control of virus transmission by the mosquito Aedes albopictus
Wellcome Trust
2016 - 2021
- Wolbachia-mediated arbovirus inhibition in mosquitoes
Wellcome Trust
2016 - 2021
- ZIKA: Vector competence and interactions with Wolbachia
Medical Research Council
2016 - 2017
Supervision
- Arme, Thomas
NA
Research datasets
2024
Mancini, M. V., Murdochy, S. M., Bilgo, E., Ant, T. H., Gingell, D., Edounou, J. G., Failloux, A.-B., Diabate, A. and Sinkins, S. (2024) Wolbachia strain wAlbB shows favourable characteristics for dengue control use in Aedes aegypti from Burkina Faso. [Data Collection]
2023
Rainey, S., Geoghegan, V., Lefteri, D. , Ant, T., Martinez, J. , McNamara, C., Kamel, W. , de Laurent, Z., Castello, A. and Sinkins, S. (2023) Differences in proteome perturbations caused by the Wolbachia strain wAu suggest multiple mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral activity. [Data Collection]
2020
Ahmad, N. A., Mancini, M. V., Ant, T., Martinez, J. , Kamarul, G. M. R., Nazni, W. A., Hoffmann, A. A. and Sinkins, S. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti. [Data Collection]
Mancini, M. V., Herd, C. S., Ant, T., Murdochy, S. and Sinkins, S. (2020) Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus. [Data Collection] (Unpublished)
Additional information
Editorial Board
- - present: Insect Molecular Biology
Grant Advisory Board
- 2018 - 2021: Wellcome Trust - International Interview Committee
- 2014 - 2020: Royal Society - Newton Advanced Fellowships Panel
Research Fellowship
- 2017 - 2020: Global Challenges Research Fund - Director, GCRF Vector Research Network 'ANTI-VeC’
- 2006 - 2021: Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship
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