A testis-specific Heme Peroxidase HPX12 regulates male fertility in the mosquito Anopheles stephensi

In humans, dysregulation of the antioxidant defense system has a detrimental impact on male fertility and reproductive physiology. Establishing such a correlation in disease vectors may pave a new way to manipulate male’s reproductive physiology, but remains the least attended. Since long - term storage of healthy and viable sperm earmarks male’s reproductive competency, we tested whether the anti-oxidative system protein also influences male fertility in the mosquito . We showed that a testis-specific HPX12 is critical for maintaining the physiological homeostasis of male mosquito’s reproductive organs. Disruption of this antioxidant enzyme by dsRNA silencing in the male mosquito severely impairs the reproductive potential of mated blood-fed female mosquitoes,resulting in a loss of 60% eggs. Our data demonstrate that increased ROS in the HPX12 mRNA depleted mosquitoes is an ultimate cause of sperm disabilities both qualitatively as well as quantitatively.