Complete mitochondrial genomes of Arizona West Nile virus vectors, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex tarsalis

Verdict. Here we report a newly developed method utilizing long-range PCR and long-read Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing that successfully obtained two full-length and annotated mitochondrial genomes from Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, 1896, both from Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. It primarily advances mechanistic understanding rather than explicit pathology endpoints.

What the authors report

Given the substantial burden of West Nile virus in Maricopa County over the past decade, and that these vectors are primarily responsible for spillover to human populations in the county, it is critical to better understand their distribution over time and space. A maximum likelihood-based phylogenetic reconstruction supports the species designation of these newly-sequenced mitogenomes.

Key results stated in the abstract include the following. Here we report a newly developed method utilizing long-range PCR and long-read Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing that successfully obtained two full-length and annotated mitochondrial genomes from Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, 1896, both from Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. This study begins to approach this need by contributing a novel approach that has resulted in the first West Nile virus vector mitochondrial genomes from Arizona. Our circular Cx. quinquefasciatus mitogenome is 15,587 bp in length, making it the first USA-based mitogenome sequenced through the AT-rich control region.

Why it matters for mitochondrial biology

Within mitochondrial research, this work maps primarily to mitochondria. The abstract does not lean heavily on pathology language; the contribution appears more mechanistic or systems-level than clinical. Server: biorxiv. Posted 2026-08-18. Synthesis confidence is bounded by abstract completeness.

Study design (abstract-level)

Here we report a newly developed method utilizing long-range PCR and long-read Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing that successfully obtained two full-length and annotated mitochondrial genomes from Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, 1896, both from Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Our circular Cx. quinquefasciatus mitogenome is 15,587 bp in length, making it the first USA-based mitogenome sequenced through the AT-rich control region. A maximum likelihood-based phylogenetic reconstruction supports the species designation of these newly-sequenced mitogenomes.

Principal findings

1. Here we report a newly developed method utilizing long-range PCR and long-read Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing that successfully obtained two full-length and annotated mitochondrial genomes from Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, 1896, both from Maricopa County, Arizona, USA.
2. This study begins to approach this need by contributing a novel approach that has resulted in the first West Nile virus vector mitochondrial genomes from Arizona.
3. Our circular Cx. quinquefasciatus mitogenome is 15,587 bp in length, making it the first USA-based mitogenome sequenced through the AT-rich control region.
4. The Cx. tarsalis mitochondrial genome is 16,416 bp long, longer than recently published California-based CTarK1 and Texas-based PQ585801 mitogenomes.
5. The increased length of the Cx. tarsalis mitogenome is a result of a 905 bp insertion in the AT-rich control region, not present in the species’ publicly available mitogenomes.

Limitations of this brief

• This Mitos brief is an abstract-level synthesis of a preprint; it is not peer review and not a substitute for reading the full paper.
• Preprint status: findings may change with revision or journal review.
• Effect sizes, n numbers, statistics, and full experimental controls are typically incomplete at abstract resolution.
• Primary source: biorxiv DOI 10.64898/2026.08.14.744795 (posted 2026-08-18).

Open scientific questions

• Which specific experimental panels in the full paper establish the strongest causal claim, and how robust are the controls?
• How do these findings sit relative to prior literature on the same pathway—replication, contradiction, or incremental extension?

Bottom line

For mitochondrial biologists focused on mitochondria, this preprint is worth full-text review if the topic matches your program. Abstract-level takeaway: Here we report a newly developed method utilizing long-range PCR and long-read Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing that successfully obtained two full-length and annotated mitochondrial genomes from Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 and Culex tarsalis Coquillett, 1896, both from Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Confirm methods, effect sizes, and controls in the full PDF before citing the result as established.

Bibliographic record

Abstract-based editorial synthesis by Mitos. Not peer review.