Genomics and the development of Rhodnius prolixus

RIVERA POMAR R, ESPONDA N, PAGOLA L, LAVORE A

Mar del Plata

Congreso; 43th Annual Meeting. Sociedad Argentina de investigación en bioquímica y biología molecular; 2007

Sociedad Argentina de investigación en bioquímica y biología molecular

The establishment of the insect body plan has been extensively studied in Dro.sophila melanogaster and Triholium easlaneuni (Coleóptera). New models such as Xasonia (Hymenoptera) and Oncopeltiis (Hemiptera) have provided new insights. However, a detailed comparison of regulatory networks is far from completed. as genome information is still scarse. Onlv four genomes have been finished: Drosophila. Anopheles and .-íedes (Díptera) ant! Apis (Hymenoptera). Although relevant, the;.´ still correspond to holometabolous insects. The completion of the firs´ genome draft of Rliodnius prolisus. a hemimetabolous insect will shed light on more complex processes of moiphogenesis as the hatching individual is essentially identical to the adult. We have constructec normalized genomic libraries for gene annotation and initialed the analysis of a handful of developmental!}´ regulated genes of the HOX class We identified several homeobox-containing genes from Oneopellus and Rliodnius. clone a putative Anip-ortholog and determine its genomic structure. Moreover, we analized the expression pattern and the function by systemic RNAi. We will present preliminary data the role of different segmentation genes as well as l he regulatory networks acting on Rliodnius einbrvozenesi: