Cross-talk of insulin-like peptides, juvenile hormone, and 20-hydroxyecdysone in regulation of metabolism in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Significance In hematophagous female mosquitoes, each reproductive cycle is linked to a separate blood intake, serving as a foundation for the transmission of dangerous human diseases. During each reproductive cycle, female mosquitoes sequentially feed on carbohydrates and protein (blood). Metabolic flux is alternated to support the reproductive cyclicity. We have established that insulin-like peptides (ILPs), critical for regulating metabolism, are genetically controlled by juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the key hormones governing the reproduction of female mosquitoes. CRISPR gene-tagging experiments revealed that the JH and 20E pathways coordinate the production of ILPs. This study has uncovered the link between ILPs and JH and 20E pathways in controlling mosquito metabolism during reproduction of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.