Molecular methods applied to the evolutionary genetics of Drosophila mediopunctata

• Grant number: 12/03144-0
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: June 01, 2012 - November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Louis Bernard Klaczko
• Grantee: Louis Bernard Klaczko
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

For more than twenty years we have been working with Drosophila mediopunctata aiming to make this species a model organism for Evolutionary Biology, given its characteristics which are not seen in other Drosophila models. Recently, we received support from CNPq giving us fellowships to start cooperation with Prof. Gert O. Pflugfelder from Mainz University from Germany, with the objective of a know-how transfer in Evolutionary Molecular and Developmental Genetics. The German laboratory is well equipped to carry out research using molecular techniques, and there is a direct collaboration with Prof. Thomas Hankeln from the same Institute, who recently got a last generation sequencer, Illumina HiSeq 2000. Moreover, there is a research team working on Bioinformatics that will be helping us in our project. Our planning includes a trip for the main researcher of each group to discuss face to face the best strategies and analysis methods. We will be sending a post-doc student (Mitsue Brianti) to start the mapping and genome sequencing of D. mediopunctata, saturating chromosome II with molecular markers. Next, a graduate student (Felipe Rocha) with a sandwich fellowship will be carrying out for the genetic analysis of the polychromatism using two approaches: QTL and candidate gene. We also want to assess the phenotypic expression in the wing and arista of the variation of the gene omb in natural populations. All travels are paid by fellowships from CNPq "Ciencia sem Fronteiras" program. In this project we are applying for financial aid to make our work viable, both in Germany and here. Objectively we intend, after the initial trip, to obtain: 1) a sequence of the genome of D. mediopunctata, with a saturated map its second chromosome with molecular markers. 2) A detailed analysis of the genetic basis of D. mediopunctata polychromatism. 3) An assessment of the phenotypic expression of the omb gene in D. mediopunctata natural populations. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BATISTA, MARCOS R. D.; UNO, FABIANA; CHAVES, RAFAEL D.; TIDON, ROSANA; ROSA, CARLOS A.; KLACZKO, LOUIS B. Differential attraction of drosophilids to banana baits inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hanseniaspora uvarum within a Neotropical forest remnant. PeerJ, v. 5, MAR 9 2017. Web of Science Citations: 7.