Evolutionary Adaptations and Mosquito-Borne Viruses

Dr. Russell Jurenka is a professor in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University. Dr Sassan Asgari is a Professor at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. He specialises in molecular entomology, focusing on host-pathogen interactions, insect virology, and RNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms. His research aims to understand how insects interact with viruses at the molecular level, especially through small RNA pathways such as microRNAs and RNA interference, and the roles of these pathways in antiviral responses. He also studies the influence of symbiotic microorganisms such as Wolbachia on viral replication and mosquito physiology. His expertise has earned him recognition through conference invitations and editorial roles, including serving as Editor-in-Chief of Insect Molecular Biology, Associate Editor (Insect Viruses) of Virus Genes, and a member of the editorial board of Virus Research and Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and has authored or co-authored over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and 14 book chapters.

• 1. Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes: molecular mechanisms and evolutionary dynamicsNannan Liu2. Thermal and desiccation tolerance in mosquitoes: evolutionary perspectivesJoshua B. Benoit and Chloé Lahondère3. Tracing the evolutionary history of insect-specific Orthoflavivirus through phylogenomicsNikos Vasilakis, Cecilia Artico Banho, Victoria Bernardi, Igor da Silva Teixeira, Beatriz de Carvalho Marques de Carvalho Marques and Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira4. Molecular arms race: viral adaptations to mosquito immune defensesGeorge Dimopolous5. Vector competence: evolutionary drivers and constraintsGreg Ebel6. Evolution of host preference in mosquitoes and its impact on virus transmissionMatthew DeGennaro7. Mosquito saliva and its co-evolution with viral pathogenesisJoel Vega-Rodriguez8. Microbiota and symbionts: evolutionary role in mosquito-virus interactionsGrant Hughes9. CRISPR and gene drives: evolutionary implications for mosquito populationsOmar S. Akbari10. MicroRNAs at the vector–virus interface: molecular mediators in mosquito-pathogen dynamicsSassan Asgari