Nature Communications (Jun 2020)

ADP binding by the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito D7 salivary protein enhances blood feeding on mammals

  • Ines Martin-Martin,
  • Andrew Paige,
  • Paola Carolina Valenzuela Leon,
  • Apostolos G. Gittis,
  • Olivia Kern,
  • Brian Bonilla,
  • Andrezza Campos Chagas,
  • Sundar Ganesan,
  • Leticia Barion Smith,
  • David N. Garboczi,
  • Eric Calvo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16665-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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D7 proteins are highly abundant in the salivary glands of several blood feeding insects. Here, the authors study the ligand binding specificity and physiological roles of the mosquito D7 proteins CxD7L1 and CxD7L2, showing that CxD7L1 acquired ADP-binding properties to enhance blood feeding in mammals.