Identification of differentially expressed genes related to sensory traits of generalists and specialists cactophilic Drosophila (repleta species group)

• Grant number: 10/10920-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2010
• End date: March 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Maura Helena Manfrin
• Grantee: Carla Fernanda Barsalobres Cavallari
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Understanding the genetic basis of adaptation requires not only ecological information on how a particular phenotype is adaptive, but also on the genetic mechanisms, either structural or regulatory, that underlie the phenotype. In many systems, this link between genetics and phenotype is elusive, usually because of challenges associated with identifying specific genes responsible for a particular phenotype. In this context, the study of xenobiotic insects has proven to be an excellent system for investigating the genetic basis of adaptation. Available evidence in insects, as well as in their host plants, suggests that adaptive evolution is driven by changes in both the regulation and structure of genes. One way to investigate the genetic basis of insect-plant association is through the identification of differentially expressed genes related to sensory traits. Hence, in this work we propose the use of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach to identify candidate genes associated with the adaptive process in generalists and specialists cactophilic Drosophila (repleta species group). From this study, we would like study how cactophilic Drosophila have been evolved into distinctive host races that specialize on different hosts, which certainly provided an opportunity for diversification and adaptive speciation in this group.

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)

BORGONOVE, CAMILA M.; CAVALLARI, CARLA B.; SANTOS, MATEUS H.; ROSSETTI, RAFAELA; HARTFELDER, KLAUS; MANFRIN, MAURA H.. Identification of differentially expressed genes in female Drosophila antonietae and Drosophila meridionalis in response to host cactus odor. BMC Evolutionary Biology, v. 14, SEP 2 2014. (10/10920-1)