Lectin Microarray Analysis of Salivary Gland Glycoproteins from the Arboviral Vector Aedes aegypti and the Malaria Vector Anopheles stephensi

Salivary gland glycoconjugates in human-feeding insects and arachnids can elicit hypersensitivity reactions. Glycoproteins introduced during blood feeding by arachnid ticks are responsible for red meat allergy or the α-gal syndrome. Dengue virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes incorporates mosquito glycoproteins into its envelope and malaria parasites transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes reportedly express α-gal epitopes that are potentially derived from mosquito salivary glands. Tick salivary gland glycoproteins possess α-gal epitopes. We used microarrays containing forty different lectins to analyse salivary gland protein glycoconjugates from the principal arboviral vector Aedes aegypti and the rapidly spreading malaria vector Anopheles stephensi . Salivary gland glycoproteins of both mosquitoes possessed very similar lectin-binding specificities. Lectin-binding profiles showed the significant presence of oligomannose N-glycans and O-glycans, a limited presence of glycan structures capped with terminal GalNAc, GlcNAc, β linked Gal, α1-6 linked fucose, and no detectable sialic acids or terminal α-linked Gal in salivary gland glycoproteins.