Conservation and Convergence of Immune Signaling Pathways With Mitochondrial Regulation in Vector Arthropod Physiology

The blood meal provides more than simple nutrition to the hematophagous arthropod. It provides a wealth of signaling information through a variety of components present in the blood meal. These signaling factors in turn activate highly conserved signaling cascades at the blood meal-interface between the blood and gut, allowing the information to be processed and utilized by the arthropod to regulate a wide range of physiological processes including innate immunity, reproduction, and life span. Mounting evidence points to mitochondrial activity, mitophagy, and biogenesis as key gatekeepers between information from the blood meal and downstream physiological effects. In this chapter we frame the history of insect pathogen interactions and the challenges blood-feeding insects face, the importance of the blood meal interface, and the signaling cascades that transduce the blood meal information, and finally the role mitochondrial dynamics plays in interpreting blood meal information and in regulating broad physiologies critical for the transmission of pathogens.