|
|
Comparative Analysis of Silk Proteins and Discovery of Novel Sericin Gene in Lepidopteran Moths
WU, Bulah Chia-Hsiang
This thesis focuses on the silk components of the Mediterranean moth, Ephestia kuehniella, and the discovery of a novel silk gene, P150/ser6, in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. We analyzed and described the cocoon silk components in both species. In the first publication, we combined transcriptomic, genomic, and proteomic approaches to identify silk proteins in E. kuehniella. In the second publication, we described the discovery of gene P150/sericin6 in B. mori based on microsynteny analysis.
|
|
|
Vliv paralytického jedu lumčíka, \kur{Habrobracon hebetor}, na svalovou tkáň zavíječe, \kur{Ephestia kuehniella} a octomilky, \kur{Drosophila melanogaster}
PODLAHOVÁ, Šárka
The ectoparasitoid wasp Habrobracon hebetor uses its effective venom for inducing neuromuscular paralysis to ensure the proper development of its progeny in the host attacked. However, the associated mechanism of the paralysis is not known yet. The action of the venom was studied in the muscle tissue of its host larvae Ephestia kuehniella and in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Preparation of the samples for TEM was optimized to protect tissue integrity and to minimalize artefacts. The results revealed that the wasp venom affected neither the organization of muscle fibres nor the structure of mitochondria. Furthermore, potential D. melanogaster mutants of glutamate receptor subunits GluRIIA and GluRIIB were analyzed, and the role of glutamate receptors in regulation of paralysis was discussed.
|
|
|
Evolution of the sex determination pathway in the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella
VISSER, Sander
The sex determination pathway in insects is a fast evolving gene cascade. In particular, the genes at the top of this cascade differ even between closely related species. This study explores the sex determination pathway of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella, which is widely used as a food source for the mass rearing of biological control agents. Therefore, an ortholog of the Masculinizer gene was identified and its role in sex determination was assessed by applying RNA interference (RNAi). In addition, a putative feminizing gene was identified on the W chromosome of E. kuehniella and a closely related species, and their genetic structure was determined by qPCR, Southern hybridization, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The data contribute to our understanding of the sex-determining system in E. kuehniella and the evolution of the sex determination pathway in Lepidoptera.
|
|
| |
guest ::
