Identification and characterization of microRNAs in Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

• Grant number: 12/06272-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Lima de Azeredo-Espin
• Grantee: Daniel Fernando Paulo
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to identify and characterize microRNAs (miRNAs) in screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, and blowfly Cochliomyia macellaria, generating the first data of miRNAs for dipteran species of the family Calliphoridae (Diptera: Brachycera). Among the species of this family, the screwworm fly C. hominivorax is the leading causing fly of traumatic myiasis in neotropical regions, causing severe losses in the livestock industry. On the other hand, C. macellaria is one of the first flies to colonize decomposing organic matter, and can act as a mechanical vector of human and animal pathogens, emphasizing its importance to public health and forensic entomology. In this context, differences in genome regulatory regions of each species can express differences in feeding habits in Cochliomyia, as well as the evolution of parasitism in Calliphoridae. The massive sequencing using next-generation platform ally with comparative analysis of the repertoire of miRNAs in different development stages of these species consists of an appropriate methodology to investigate these variations. The miRNAs are small transcripts about 22 nucleotides responsible for the regulation of endogenous genes in different biological processes of a species. The detailed study of the miRNAs sets in C. hominivorax and C. macellaria will allow investigate biological processes in these two divergent species, including the specialization of feeding habits. The identification and characterization of miRNAs in these species will also add important information to evolutionary studies in Calliphoridae, allowing the extension of standardized methodology to other groups of the order Diptera, providing comparative studies in a broader evolutionary scale.

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)

PAULO, D. F.; AZEREDO-ESPIN, A. M. L.; CANESIN, L. E. C.; VICENTINI, R.; JUNQUEIRA, A. C. M.. Identification and characterization of microRNAs in the screwworm flies Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Insect Molecular Biology, v. 26, n. 1, p. 46-57, FEB 2017. (12/11654-9, 12/06272-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PAULO, Daniel Fernando. Identification and characterization of microRNAs from Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae). 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.