This study is done in the context of the dual resistance of Anopheles mosquitoes and Plasmodium parasite which challenge malaria control (Liu, 2015; WHO, 2020) and call for the development of complementary control strategies. It aims to investigate and test potential small molecule inhibitors targeting Anopheles reproductive proteins to induce female sterilization and reduce malaria transmission. Thus, a list of candidate genes has been identified according to their decisive function in anopheles reproduction success and their possible implication in Plasmodium infectivity and/or development in mosquitoes.
- analyze the genetic diversity of those genes of interest in sub-Saharan Africa An. gambiae s.l populations. This will inform whether they are located in genomic sweep selection regions and whether their genetic diversity will affect the protein structure models. For each candidate gene, a comparison within and between species and population will be done.