Male Age and Sexual Maturity: Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor influences sperm quality and reproduction in Anopheles culicifacies
- 1ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Delhi, India
Abstract
Elucidating the biological and molecular mechanisms that govern male fertility and mating behavior in mosquitoes is critical for optimizing genetic and sterile insect technique-based vector control strategies. Here, we examined age-related changes in male reproductive capacity in Anopheles culicifacies, using female egg output as an indirect indicator of male fertility. Our results demonstrated that male reproductive age follows a non-linear pattern of fertility. Morphometric analysis from emergence to day 13 post-eclosion revealed a strong correlation between seminal vesicle capacity and female fecundity, suggesting that age-dependent gonadal development directly influences reproductive potential. At the molecular level, we identified AcLITAF6 as a key regulator of male reproductive homeostasis. RNAi-mediated knockdown of AcLITAF6 impaired apoptosis-associated and phagocytic clearance, reduced sperm viability, and decreased female productive outcomes. Conclusively, we reveal a previously unrecognized role of LITAF in sperm quality control and male reproductive fitness, highlighting AcLITAF6 as a potential target for mosquito population suppression strategies.
Related
- Liver miRNome is modulated by nutrient restriction in early lactation cows challenged with intramammary lipopolysaccharide
- Multi-tissue GAL4-mediated gene expression in all Anopheles gambiae life stages using an endogenous polyubiquitin promoter
- Contact-mediated triclosan delivery for transmission blocking of Plasmodium in Anopheles stephensi
- Genomic analysis of DDT resistance identifies importance of glutathione transferases in driving evolutionary response to vector control in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae
- Genetic structure of Anopheles sinensis populations in Shandong Province based on genetic analysis
BibTeX
@misc{rohilla2026male,
title = {{Male Age and Sexual Maturity: Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor influences sperm quality and reproduction in Anopheles culicifacies}},
author = {P. Rohilla and V. Saini and V. Srivastava and P. Yadav and N. Sankhala and T. Singh and G. Sharma and G. Tandon and S. Tyagi and J. Rani and R. Dixit},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.31.748190},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.31.748190v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Male Age and Sexual Maturity: Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor influences sperm quality and reproduction in Anopheles culicifacies
AU - P. Rohilla
AU - V. Saini
AU - V. Srivastava
AU - P. Yadav
AU - N. Sankhala
AU - T. Singh
AU - G. Sharma
AU - G. Tandon
AU - S. Tyagi
AU - J. Rani
AU - R. Dixit
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.31.748190
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.31.748190v1
AB - Elucidating the biological and molecular mechanisms that govern male fertility and mating behavior in mosquitoes is critical for optimizing genetic and sterile insect technique-based vector control strategies. Here, we examined age-related changes in male reproductive capacity in Anopheles culicifacies, using female egg output as an indirect indicator of male fertility. Our results demonstrated that male reproductive age follows a non-linear pattern of fertility. Morphometric analysis from emergence to day 13 post-eclosion revealed a strong correlation between seminal vesicle capacity and female fecundity, suggesting that age-dependent gonadal development directly influences reproductive potential. At the molecular level, we identified AcLITAF6 as a key regulator of male reproductive homeostasis. RNAi-mediated knockdown of AcLITAF6 impaired apoptosis-associated and phagocytic clearance, reduced sperm viability, and decreased female productive outcomes. Conclusively, we reveal a previously unrecognized role of LITAF in sperm quality control and male reproductive fitness, highlighting AcLITAF6 as a potential target for mosquito population suppression strategies.
ER -