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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #181695
Title: FROM BUGS TO BASES: DETERMINING FUNCTION, RELATED PATHWAYS, AND CELLULAR LOCATION OF GENE PRODUCTS THROUGH EST ANNOTATION

Author
item Hunnicutt, Laura
item Hunter, Wayne

Submitted to: Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/22/2005
Publication Date: 7/24/2005
Citation: Hunnicutt, L.E., Hunter, W.B. 2005. From bugs to bases: determining function, related pathways, and cellular location of gene products through EST annotation. 88th annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society. July 24-27, 2005. Ft. Myers, FL. Paper No. DSP-8.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: One of our goals is to gain insight into the transcriptome of economically important insects. A large part of our efforts thus far have focused on the clustering and assemblage of expressed sequence tags, EST, sequencing projects derived from whole-insect and tissue-specific cDNA libraries encompassing genera within the Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera. The ESTs were subsequently annotated using an array of publicly-available databases to correlate each sequence with a comprehensive ontology which integrates a putative molecular function, biological process, and cellular component. Compilation of transcriptome surveys such as these are vital to the identification of genes that play key roles in insect growth and development, reproductive physiology, behavior, pathogen-vector interactions, stress and immune responses. Armed with this information, we are able to conduct studies to develop novel pest management strategies that will permit specific 'down-regulation' of gene expression thereby reducing or inhibiting the action of targeted genes within these insect pests. These studies will enable the development of environmentally friendly, highly specific management strategies for future use within current integrated pest management programs.