Analysis of coleopteran lanterns, fat body and Malpighian tubules transcriptomes, and its relationship with the origins of bioluminescence in Coleoptera and Diptera

• Grant number: 13/09594-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Vadim Viviani
• Grantee: Vadim Viviani
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para a Sustentabilidade (CCTS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bioluminescence in insects is found mainly in Coleoptera and Diptera. In Beetles of the superfamily Elateroidea, bioluminescence involves the same bioluminescence system with luciferins and luciferases well characterized. Beetle luciferin is a benzothiazolic compound, however, its biosynthetic origin remains unknown. The lanterns of bioluminescent beetles probably evolved from extensions of the fat body. In Arachnocampa spp (Diptera: Mycetophylidae), the bioluminescent system remains poorly known, involving lanterns arising from extensions of the Malpighian tubules, an unknown luciferin, an unidentified luciferase and ATP. Although the bioluminescent systems of beetles and Arachnocampa are not evolutionarily related, the involvement of ATP in both systems suggests that Arachnocampa may also employ an AMP-ligase as a luciferase. This hypothesis is supported by recent finding of luciferase-like enzymes in the Malpighian tubules of Zophobas morio (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) larvae. Considering that the biosynthetic origin of beetle luciferin and the molecular physiology of the lanterns are poorly known, we aim to investigate the transcriptomes of the adult and larval lanterns, and fat body of Aspisoma lineatum firefly (Coleoptera:Lampyridae), to identify potential enzymatic targets involved with the above processes. Also, considering that no transcriptome of the Malpíghian tubules is currently known for any Coleoptera, and the existence of luciferase-like enzymes of unknown function in the Malpighian tubules of tenebrionid beetles, suggesting a possible evolutive link between AMP-ligases and the origin of Arachnocampa lanterns, we aim to investigate the transcriptome of these organs in Zophobas morio (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) larvae comparing with the transcriptome of Arachnocampa flava (Diptera:Mycetophylidae) lanterns. (AU)

Scientific publications

(11)

(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)

GABRIEL, GABRIELE V. M.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Engineering the metal sensitive sites in Macrolampis sp2 firefly luciferase and use as a novel bioluminescent ratiometric biosensor for heavy metals. ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, v. 408, n. 30, p. 8881-8893, DEC 2016. (11/23961-0, 14/04477-9, 13/09594-0)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; SILVA, JAQUELINE R.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Transcriptional comparison of the photogenic and non-photogenic tissues of Phrixothrix hirtus (Coleoptera: Phengodidae) and non-luminescent Chauliognathus flavipes (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) give insights on the origin of lanterns in railroad worms. GENE REPORTS, v. 7, p. 78-86, JUN 2017. (14/20176-9, 13/09594-0)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; SILVA, JAQUELINE R.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Transcriptomes from the photogenic and non-photogenetic tissues and life stages of the Aspisoma lineatum firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): Implications for the evolutionary origins of bioluminescence and its associated light organs. GENE REPORTS, v. 8, p. 150-159, SEP 2017. (14/20176-9, 13/09594-0)

SILVA, JAQUELINE R.; AMARAL, DANILO T.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Comparison of the Malpighian tubules and fat body transcriptional profiles of Zophobas morio larvae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology D-Genomics & Proteomics, v. 29, p. 95-105, MAR 2019. (10/05426-8, 13/09594-0, 12/25378-3)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; SILVA, JAQUELINE R.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. RNA-Seq analysis of the bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent species of Elateridae (Coleoptera): Comparison to others photogenic and non-photogenic tissues of Elateroidea species. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology D-Genomics & Proteomics, v. 29, p. 154-165, MAR 2019. (14/20176-9, 10/05426-8, 13/09594-0)

PEREZ, ARINA MARINA; AQUINO, BRUNO; VIVIANI, VADIM; KOBARG, JORG. Use of a special Brazilian red-light emitting railroad worm Luciferase in bioassays of NEK7 protein Kinase and Creatine Kinase. BMC BIOCHEMISTRY, v. 18, JUL 19 2017. (11/20086-1, 13/09594-0, 14/21700-3, 12/22265-3)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; OLIVEIRA, GABRIELA; SILVA, JAQUELINE R.; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. A new orange emitting luciferase from the Southern-Amazon Pyrophorus angustus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) click-beetle: structure and bioluminescence color relationship, evolutional and ecological considerations. PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 15, n. 9, p. 1148-1154, 2016. (14/20176-9, 13/09594-0)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; MITANI, YASUO; OLIVEIRA, GABRIELA; OHMIYA, YOSHIHIRO; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Revisiting Coleoptera a plus T-rich region: structural conservation, phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches in mitochondrial control region of bioluminescent Elateridae species (Coleoptera). MITOCHONDRIAL DNA PART A, v. 28, n. 4-5, p. 671-680, SEP 2017. (14/20176-9, 13/00574-7, 13/09594-0, 11/19427-9, 10/02868-0)

AMARAL, DANILO T.; MITANI, YASUO; OHMIYA, YOSHIHIRO; VIVIANI, VADIM R.. Organization and comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes of bioluminescent Elateroidea (Coleoptera: Polyphaga). Gene, v. 586, n. 2, p. 254-262, JUL 25 2016. (11/19427-9, 13/00574-7, 13/09594-0)

VIVIANI, V. R.; SIMOES, A.; BEVILAQUA, V. R.; GABRIEL, G. V. M.; ARNOLDI, F. G. C.; HIRANO, T.. Glu311 and Arg337 Stabilize a Closed Active-site Conformation and Provide a Critical Catalytic Base and Countercation for Green Bioluminescence in Beetle Luciferases. BIOCHEMISTRY, v. 55, n. 34, p. 4764-4776, AUG 30 2016. (13/09594-0)

VIVIANI, VADIM R.; GABRIEL, GABRIELE V. M.; BEVILAQUA, VANESSA R.; SIMOES, A. F.; HIRANO, T.; LOPES-DE-OLIVEIRA, P. S.. The proton and metal binding sites responsible for the pH-dependent green-red bioluminescence color tuning in firefly luciferases. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 8, DEC 4 2018. (10/05426-8, 13/09594-0)

Filed patent(s) as a result of this research project