ARS | Publication request: The Tribolium castaneum Larval Gut Transcriptome and Proteome: A Resource for the Study of the Coleopteran Gut

Submitted to: Journal of Proteome Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 23, 2009
Publication Date: July 13, 2009
Repository URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10113/44898
Citation: Morris, K.M., Lorenzen, M.D., Hiromasa, Y., Tomich, J.M., Oppert, C., Elpidina, E.N., Vinokurov, K., Jurat-Fuentes, J., Fabrick, J.A., Oppert, B.S. 2009. The Tribolium castaneum Larval Gut Transcriptome and Proteome: A Resource for the Study of the Coleopteran Gut. Journal of Proteome Research. 8: 3889-3898.

Interpretive Summary: Beetle storage pests are among the most damaging and difficult to control. Now that we have the sequenced genome of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, we can begin to develop sophisticated techniques to study the beetle gut, the primary interface of the insect with its environment. We developed microarrays from the genetic sequences of the flour beetle, and we used those to study which genes are found in the gut. We also used another advanced technique called “proteomics” to identify proteins that are found in the beetle gut. These studies have provided a database to use for evaluating novel biopesticides that can be used in integrated pest management strategies to control beetle pests.

Technical Abstract: Microarray and proteomic analyses were used to identify genes and proteins in the Tribolium castaneum larval gut. Highly-expressed genes and proteins included peptidases that were predicted previously to be critical protein-digestion enzymes in the gut of tenebrionid insects. Some sequences lacked functional associations and may represent novel targets for insect control. These databases provide the basis for future comparative transcriptomic and proteomic studies of the gut of coleopteran insects.