Location: Veterinary Pest Genetics Research Unit
2024 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Horn fly transcriptomes of 10 populations from the southern U.S. Pesticide resistance in horn flies poses a significant threat to livestock health and productivity. Development of pesticide resistance leads to increased treatment costs and necessitates the development of alternative control strategies to manage horn fly populations. ARS scientists at Kerrville, Texas, sequenced the transcriptomes of ten horn fly populations from the southern United States with varying degrees of pesticide resistance. This comprehensive dataset provides valuable insights into biology of resistance, aiding in the development of targeted control strategies and contributing significantly to the field of insecticide resistance research. Biological processes regulating various aspects of fly biology were highly correlated with the increased susceptibility to pesticides. In addition, processes involved with chemical compound absorption and binding were highly enriched in susceptible populations, potentially identifying a specific mechanism for potential future control.
2. Development of a novel isolation protocol for microRNAs from tick ex vivo salivary gland cultures and extracellular vesicles. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression with significant potential as a target for tick control. ARS scientists at Kerrville and Edinburg, Texas, developed a novel method of isolating miRNAs from tick salivary gland cultures and extracellular vesicles (EVs). This method streamlines the process of feeding and processing ticks, enabling for the enrichment of miRNAs extracted from tick tissues. This method also establishes the steps necessary for the downstream bioinformatic analysis of miRNAs and the identification of conserved and unique miRNAs found within various tick species. This new protocol also opens avenues for studying pathogen-vector interactions and identifying miRNA targets for functional studies.
Review Publications
Bendele, K.G., Guerrero, F., Lohmeyer, K.H., Foil, L., Metz, R., Johnson, C. 2023. Horn fly transcriptomes from 10 populations from the southern United States. Data in Brief. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109699.
Leal, B., Harvey, C., Thomas, D.B., Oliva-Chavez, A. 2022. A method for the isolation of miRNAs from tick ex vivo salivary gland cultures and extracellular vesicles. The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). https://doi.org/10.3791/63618.