Microbiome-derived queuine vitamers underlie tyrosine metabolism and predator avoidance in mosquito larvae
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH USA
- 2Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA USA
- 3Department of Entomology, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
- 4Rieveschl Laboratories for Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH USA
Abstract
The gut microbiome is a rich source of nutrients that are critical to the development and biology of eukaryotes. Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are essential components of protein synthesis, and certain chemical modifications of tRNAs depend on the availability of microbiome-derived nutrients. In eukaryotes, the nucleobase queuine (q) or nucleoside queuosine (Q) is salvaged from the microbiome or diet and incorporated into tRNA, where it influences the speed and efficiency of protein synthesis. Here, we examine the role of microbiome-derived Q in mosquito larval development and behavior. When mosquito larvae are grown with a microbiome incapable of synthesizing Q, there is a significant impact on tyrosine levels and downstream processes, which correlate with defects in behavior and cuticle formation. Likely due to effects on movement and behavior, Q-deficient larvae exhibit impaired predator evasion, resulting in increased capture by predaceous beetle larvae. The broad effects of Q-deficiency in mosquito larvae highlight the importance of previously unexplored microbiome-derived nutrients for mosquito physiology and behavior.
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BibTeX
@article{kelley2026microbiomederived,
title = {{Microbiome-derived queuine vitamers underlie tyrosine metabolism and predator avoidance in mosquito larvae}},
author = {Melissa Kelley and Shubham Rathore and Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran and Cassandra Herbert and Chloe Elizabeth G. Sabile and Taylor Wood and Judd Joves and Andrew Palacios and Bibek Hamal and Joshua Tompkin and Emily Susanto and Melissa Uhran and Arturo Ledezma-Ramírez and Shyh-Chi Chen and Khwahish Singh and Richard Rust and Maria Mendiola Solorio and Muhmmad S. Khalid and Amartya T. Mitra and Clément Vinauger and Elke K. Buschbeck and Patrick A. Limbach and Joshua B. Benoit},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-10537-w},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10537-w},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbiome-derived queuine vitamers underlie tyrosine metabolism and predator avoidance in mosquito larvae
AU - Melissa Kelley
AU - Shubham Rathore
AU - Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran
AU - Cassandra Herbert
AU - Chloe Elizabeth G. Sabile
AU - Taylor Wood
AU - Judd Joves
AU - Andrew Palacios
AU - Bibek Hamal
AU - Joshua Tompkin
AU - Emily Susanto
AU - Melissa Uhran
AU - Arturo Ledezma-Ramírez
AU - Shyh-Chi Chen
AU - Khwahish Singh
AU - Richard Rust
AU - Maria Mendiola Solorio
AU - Muhmmad S. Khalid
AU - Amartya T. Mitra
AU - Clément Vinauger
AU - Elke K. Buschbeck
AU - Patrick A. Limbach
AU - Joshua B. Benoit
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/11
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-10537-w
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10537-w
AB - The gut microbiome is a rich source of nutrients that are critical to the development and biology of eukaryotes. Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are essential components of protein synthesis, and certain chemical modifications of tRNAs depend on the availability of microbiome-derived nutrients. In eukaryotes, the nucleobase queuine (q) or nucleoside queuosine (Q) is salvaged from the microbiome or diet and incorporated into tRNA, where it influences the speed and efficiency of protein synthesis. Here, we examine the role of microbiome-derived Q in mosquito larval development and behavior. When mosquito larvae are grown with a microbiome incapable of synthesizing Q, there is a significant impact on tyrosine levels and downstream processes, which correlate with defects in behavior and cuticle formation. Likely due to effects on movement and behavior, Q-deficient larvae exhibit impaired predator evasion, resulting in increased capture by predaceous beetle larvae. The broad effects of Q-deficiency in mosquito larvae highlight the importance of previously unexplored microbiome-derived nutrients for mosquito physiology and behavior.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -