Fruit flies of the Bactrocera genus cause damages to agriculture with losses of billions of dollars every year. The worldwide and progressive diffusion of these species indicates that the current control methods used up to now are insufficient. The evolutionary study of the genes involved in the choice of the host plant can lead to the development of new control methods. The analysis of the genes that encode for opsins, proteins involved in the regulation of vision, associated with ethology studies, can provide useful information to enhance integrated pest management (also known as Integrated Pest Management, IPM). These genes are not only important for vision, but also drive behavior involved into the circadian rhythm. The aim of this work is to analyze, from an evolutionary point of view, the opsin genes in five species of Bactrocera, and to relate these results with the different food preferences of these species. For this purpose, the sequences of these genes were identified with bioinformatics tools in their respective genomes and transcriptomes. We have also analyzed the molecular evolution patterns of these genes in a phylogenetic framework and analyzed the structure of the respective opsins.
Le mosche della frutta del genere Bactrocera causano danni all’agricoltura con perdite di miliardi di dollari ogni anno. La diffusione mondiale e progressiva di queste specie indica come gli attuali metodi di controllo finora utilizzati siano insufficienti. Lo studio evolutivo dei geni coinvolti nella scelta della pianta ospite può portare allo sviluppo di nuovi metodi di controllo. L’analisi dei geni che codificano per le opsine, proteine coinvolte nella regolazione della vista, associata a studi di etologia, può fornire utili informazioni per potenziare la lotta integrata (conosciuta anche come Integrated Pest Management, IPM). Questi geni non solo sono importanti per la visione, ma guidano anche il comportamento legato al ritmo circadiano. L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è analizzare, da un punto di vista evolutivo, i geni delle opsine in cinque specie di Bactrocera, e mettere in relazione questi risultati con le diverse preferenze alimentari di queste specie. A tal fine sono state identificate, con strumenti bioinformatici, le sequenze di questi geni nei rispettivi genomi e trascrittomi. Abbiamo quindi analizzato i pattern di evoluzione molecolare di questi geni in un framework filogenetico e analizzato la struttura delle rispettive opsine.
Evolutionary history of opsin genes in Bactrocera fruit flies
STAFFIERE, PAOLA
2019/2020
Abstract
Fruit flies of the Bactrocera genus cause damages to agriculture with losses of billions of dollars every year. The worldwide and progressive diffusion of these species indicates that the current control methods used up to now are insufficient. The evolutionary study of the genes involved in the choice of the host plant can lead to the development of new control methods. The analysis of the genes that encode for opsins, proteins involved in the regulation of vision, associated with ethology studies, can provide useful information to enhance integrated pest management (also known as Integrated Pest Management, IPM). These genes are not only important for vision, but also drive behavior involved into the circadian rhythm. The aim of this work is to analyze, from an evolutionary point of view, the opsin genes in five species of Bactrocera, and to relate these results with the different food preferences of these species. For this purpose, the sequences of these genes were identified with bioinformatics tools in their respective genomes and transcriptomes. We have also analyzed the molecular evolution patterns of these genes in a phylogenetic framework and analyzed the structure of the respective opsins.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/11983