A standard photomap of ovarian nurse cell chromosomes for the European malaria vector Anopheles atroparvus

摘要

Anopheles atroparvus is one of the main malaria vectors of the Maculipennis group in Europe. Cytogenetic analysis based on salivary gland chromosomes has been used for taxonomic and population genetic studies of mosquitoes from this group. However, a high-resolution cytogenetic map that could be useful for physical genome mapping in An. atroparvus is still lacking. In the present study, a high-quality photomap for the polytene chromosomes from ovarian nurse cells of An. atroparvus was developed. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization, 10 genes from the 5 largest genomic supercontigs on the polytene chromosome were localized and 28% of the genome were anchored to the cytogenetic map. The study established chromosome arm homology between An. atroparvus and the major African malaria vector An. gambiae suggesting a whole-arm translocation between autosomes of these two species. The standard photomap for ovarian nurse cell chromosomes of An. atroparvus constructed will be useful for routine physical mapping. This map will assist in developing a fine-scale chromosome-based genome assembly for this species and will also facilitate comparative and evolutionary genomics studies in the genus Anopheles.