Comparative Genomics on the Insect Antennapedia Complex
Description
Nasonia are parasitic wasps; their qualities, including interfertile species, healthy inbred isogenic lines, and ease of rearing and handling, make them excellent candidates for genetic and genomic studies. Nasonia vitripennis is one of the best genetically characterized of the Hymenopterans, the most important insect group impacting human activities. The Hox genes encode conserved transcription factors with a pivotal role in the development of body plans. ANT-C, the Antennapedia homeotic gene complex, contains anterior Hox genes that specify the identity of head and mouthpart segments. One of the objectives of this investigation is to improve our understanding of the organization of the ANT-C in the insects, beginning by shedding light on its organization in Hymenoptera and later comparing these features with information available from other insect orders.
Contact Information
Monica Muñoz-Torres
51 New Cherry St. BRC #301
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634, USA
864-656-4643
Lateral Gene Transfer
In collaboration with TIGR, the University of Rochester, and other groups, Monica Muñoz-Torres
has provided evidence for lateral gene transfer from the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis
into the genomes of 11 eukaryotes. The research has been published in Science, and
concludes that heritable gene transfer occurs into eukaryotic hosts from their prokaryotic
symbionts, potentially providing a mechanism for acquisition of new genes and functions.
Monica's contribution was the identification of genomic regions which contained
junctions between host and symbiont DNA. She is interested in characterizing such regions
and developing a model for its organization in the next phase of the project.
Widespread Lateral Gene Transfer from Intracellular Bacteria to Multicellular Eukaryotes
Julie C. Dunning Hotopp, et al.
Science 317, 1753 (2007); DOI: 10.1126/science.1142490
Other Research Interests
Iron storage proteins in common beans:
In collaboration with Dr. Matthew Blair and Carolina Astudillo, at the International
Center for Tropical Agriculture (www.ciat.cgiar.org),
we are working on a positional cloning project to identify the gene(s) involved in
the storage of iron in Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean. Framed within
one of the Challenge Programs of the CGIAR, this project strives to help in the
production of molecular tools that may contribute in the process of breeding new
varieties of staple food crops consumed by the poor that have higher leves of micronutrients
(www.harvestplus.org). Monica's role in this project
has been the identification and characterization of putative genomic regions where
the gene(s) responsible for the storage of Iron in common bean seeds. This has been
done through hybridization of high-density filters of BAC clones, and fingerprinting analysis.