Location: Livestock Arthropod Pest Research Unit
Project Number: 3094-32000-041-015-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 15, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2027
Objective:
The long-term goal of this project is to produce genetically engineered sterile male stable flies that cannot bloodfeed and do not require a bloodmeal to mate. This would overcome at least one hurdle to use of the sterile insect approach for population suppression of this species. The Cooperator will use a multi-omic approach to address three primary objectives: 1) identify the signaling pathways that regulate seminal fluid production in stable fly males; 2) identify genes involved in stable fly mouthpart development; and 3) functionally characterize genes of interest and their impact on seminal fluid production and mouthpart development.
Approach:
Cooperator will use a neuropeptidomics approach to define those peptides that are part of the signaling pathway regulating seminal fluid production in stable fly males, to include tissue dissection, and molecular and bioinformatic approaches. Transcriptomic approaches will be used to identify genes involved in stable fly mouthpart development. Gene editing approaches will be employed to functionally characterize genes of interest, and behavioral and physiological assays will be used to evaluate their role in seminal fluid production and mouthpart development.
