Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-08T13:58:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 35.pdf: 4189785 bytes, checksum: eff0f086b83e9099a7bd3e2495feb229 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães. Recife, PE, Brasil / A toxina Binária (Bin) é o principal fator tóxico da bactéria entomopatógena Lysinibacillus sphaericus e sua ação em Culex quinquefasciatus depende da ligação com receptores no intestino das larvas. Os receptores são as a-glicosidases Cqm1, localizadas no epitélio, ligadas por uma âncora de glicosil-fosfatidilinositol. Larvas de Aedes aegypti são refratárias à toxina, pois, não apresentam receptores funcionais, apesar de apresentarem um gene que codifica a proteína Aam1, com alta similaridade à Cqm1. Devido às lacunas a respeito do espectro de ação da toxina Bin, o objetivo deste estudo foi identificar epitopos de ligação da toxina no receptor Cqm1 e determinar a base molecular da sua ação para estas espécies de vetores. Os resultados obtidos a partir da análise comparativa das proteínas Cqm1 e Aam1 levaram à identificação de um epitopo da toxina Bin no receptor Cqm1, situado uma alça na região N-terminal S129-A312. Este epitopo é composto pelos aminoácidos 155PATGGG160, não conservados em Aam1 (158AETGKL163), e os resíduos 159GG160 são críticos para a ligação com a Bin. A análise da proteína ortóloga Aam1 demonstrou que esta é expressa em larvas de Ae. aegypti, semelhante à Cqm1, porém ela não é capaz de ligar-se à toxina Bin. Uma diferença marcante da proteína Aam1 é sua glicosilação, entretanto, a remoção de carboidratos da proteína não afetou o padrão de ligação à toxina Bin. A análise da Cqm1 mostrou que os glicanos não são necessários para a interação com a toxina Bin e que possivelmente esta proteína não parece ser glicosilada. O estudo mostrou que um pequeno segmento de resíduos da região da proteína Cqm1, com baixa conservação em Aam1, é crítica para a ligação da toxina Bin e sugere que esta poderia ser a causa da refratariedade das larvas de Ae. aegypti. Os resultados deste estudo são relevantes para elucidar a base molecular do modo de ação de L. sphaericus e abrem perspectivas para a busca de outros determinantes moleculares envolvidos neste processo

Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-02T13:08:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 andre_veloso_ioc_dout_2015.pdf: 5077168 bytes, checksum: 9fce6d548bd0ac2fa5e83f9b028c4bf2 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Os dípteros Aedes aegypti, Anopheles albitarsis e Culex quinquefasciatus pertencem à família Culicidae e são considerados um problema de saúde pública quando atuam como vetores de parasitos e/ou arboviroses. O regime de alimentação de fêmeas dos mosquitos anautógenos influencia os processos que ocorrem no intestino e regula os genes envolvidos na reprodução. Além disso, apesar dos ciclos de vida dos parasitos veiculados por essas espécies de vetores serem distintos, todos eles são ingeridos durante a hematofagia e expostos ao ambiente do intestino médio (estômago) para em seguida atravessar o epitélio intestinal e chegarem ao tecido apropriado para seu desenvolvimento e/ou transmissão para um novo hospedeiro vertebrado. Neste trabalho, utilizamos uma abordagem proteômica para a identificação de proteínas totais, bem como ensaios em solução e enzimografia em gel copolimerizado com substrato para identificação de peptidases ativas presentes no intestino de fêmeas de Cx. quinquefasciatus e An. albitarsis s.s sob regime de alimentação com açúcar. As técnicas de enzimografia também foram utilizadas aqui para a caracterização de peptidases ativas de intestinos de fêmeas de Ae. aegypti alimentadas com açúcar ou sangue. Foi observado que o intestino de fêmeas das três espécies alimentadas com açúcar apresenta um complexo perfil de peptidases ativas, do tipo tripsina, composto por bandas migrando nas regiões entre ~ 24 a 40 kDa e em regiões de alto peso molecular Atividades proteolíticas foram detectadas entre pH 3,5 \2013 10, revelando diferenças quantitativas e qualitativas entre os perfis proteolíticos das três espécies. Em fêmeas de Ae. aegypti, o regime de alimentação com açúcar ou sangue alterou o perfil de SPtrip ativas do intestino de forma qualitativa e quantitativa. Um total de oito tripsinas em Cx. quinquefasciatus e dez tripsinas em An. albitarsis, foram identificadas por SDS-PAGE acoplado a LC-MS/MS. Apesar dessas SPtrip identificadas apresentarem características comuns às tripsinas digestivas de invertebrados, foram observadas diferenças nas sequências de aminoácidos, como por exemplo, em regiões de especificidade ao substrato e de ativação do zimogênio. Foi observado que os genes codificadores para SPtrip possuem diferentes tamanhos e organização, tais como, diferenças no número de éxons/introns. Com relação à composição de proteínas totais solúveis do intestino de fêmeas de Cx. quinquefasciatus e An. albitarsis, análise por LC-MS/MS e bioinformática revelou a presença de proteínas envolvidas em processos fisiológicos importantes, como exopeptidaes, glicosidades, enzimas detoxificantes e proteínas relacionadas com a interação parasito/vetor Em Cx. quinquefasciatus, foram identificadas 1397 proteínas, distribuídas em 1090 grupos, representando um total de ~ 7,5% das proteínas codificadas pelo genoma dessa espécie. Em An. albitarsis foram identificadas 916 proteínas distribuídas em 748 grupos. As centenas de proteínas presentes no intestino de fêmeas alimentadas com açúcar, de ambas as espécies, foram classificadas segundo sua ontologia gênica e o papel de algumas famílias de proteínas historicamente importante em mosquitos foram discutidas. Finalmente, foi demonstrado que abordagem proteômica combinada à enzimografia e bioinformática é uma ferramenta que pode auxiliar na anotação funcional dos genes de tripsinas expressos no intestino de fêmeas alimentadas com açúcar, bem como auxilia no mapeamento do repertório de proteínas totais presentes no intestino de Cx. quinquefasciatus e An. albitarsis / Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles albitarsis and Aedes aegypti are hematophagous insect from the Culicidae family that feeds on the blood of humans, dogs, birds and livestock. These species transmit a wide variety of pathogens between humans and animals. The midgut environment is the first location of pathogen-vector interaction for blood-feeding mosquitoes and the expression of specific peptidases in the early stages of feeding could influence the outcome of the infection. Trypsin-like serine peptidases belong to a multi-gene family that can be expressed in different isoforms under distinct physiological conditions. However, the confident assignment of the trypsin genes that are expressed under each condition is still a challenge due to the large number of trypsin-coding genes in the Culicidae family and most likely because they are low abundance proteins. We used zymography for the biochemical characterization of the peptidase profile of the midgut from Cx. quinquefasciatus, An. albitarsis, and Ae. aegypti females fed on sugar. We also caracterized the peptidses profile of the midgut from Ae. aegypti fed on blood, during different moments after fedding. Protein samples were also submitted to SDS-PAGE followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis for peptidase identification. The peptidases sequences were analyzed by bioinformatics tools to assess their distinct features. Zymography revealed that trypsin-like serine peptidases were responsible for the proteolytic activity in the midgut of females fed on sugar or blood diet. In addition, we observed that the profile is influenced by the blood ingestion. After fractionation in SDS-PAGE, eight and ten trypsin-like serine peptidases were identified by LC-MS/MS in Cx. quinquefasciatus and An. albitarsis, respectively. Peptidases from Cx. quinquefasciatus were also analysed with bioinformatic tools revealing that they have structural features typical of invertebrate digestive trypsin peptidases but exhibited singularities at the protein sequence level such as: the presence of different amino acids at the autocatalytic motif and substrate binding regions as well as different number of disulfide bounds. Data mining revealed a group of trypsin-like serine peptidases that are specific to C. quinquefasciatus when compared to the culicids genomes sequenced so far. We demonstrated that proteomics approaches combined with bioinformatics tools and zymographic analysis can lead to the functional annotation of trypsin-like serine peptidases coding genes and aid in the understanding of the complexity of peptidase expression in mosquitoes. / 2016-10-11

Assim como qualquer empreendimento que altera localmente o regime de águas, a construção de barragens de abastecimento modifica a ecologia dos culicídeos, podendo levar ao aparecimento de surtos. Foi comparado como foi a resposta dessa comunidade na construção das barragens de Biritiba-Mirim e Paraitinga, entre 2002 e 2005. Ambas fazem parte do Sistema Produtor do Alto Tietê, responsável pelo abastecimento da maior parte da região metropolitana de São Paulo. A amostragem aconteceu pelo método de Armadilha de Shannon, a partir dos dados coletados foram calculados índices dos componentes ecológicos, como riqueza, constância, abundância, similaridade e outros. A análise destes componentes revelou que a fauna de mosquitos das duas barragens possuíam estágios iniciais diferentes, logo tiveram reações diferentes ao impacto. Em Biritiba-Mirim estava presente uma fauna silvícola, que diminuiu grandemente com a inundação, enquanto a fauna associada a macrófitas e a criadouros temporários cresceram, isso levou a diminuição da diversidade no período estudado. Em Paraitinga a fauna silvícola era reduzida, então as modificações, qualitativa e quantitativas foram pequenas. Foram encontradas as seguinte espécie de importância médica: Mansonia titillans, Anopheles galvaoi, Anopheles albitarsis s.l., Anopheles evansae, Anopheles intermedius, Anopheles cruzii, Anopheles lutzi, Anopheles triannulatus, Aedes albopictus, Aedeomyia squamipennis, Psorophora ferox, Culex (Melanoconion) sp., Culex amazonensis, Limatus durhami, Aedes scapularis e Aedes serratus / Like any enterprise that locally modify the water regime, the construction of dams supply modifies the ecology of Culicidae, which may lead to the emergence of epidemic outbreaks. In the present study was studied and compared as was the response of this community in the construction of dams and Paratirinda Bitiriba- Mirim, between 2002 and 2005. Both are part of the Alto Tiete System Producer, responsible for supplying most of metropolitan Sao Paulo. Sampling took place at Shannon trapping method, based on data collected were calculated index of ecological components, such as wealth, constancy, abundance, similarity, and others.The analysis of these components revealed that the faunas of the two dams had different stages, soon had the impact difererentes reactions. In Biritiba Mirim was present a wildlife forestry, which greatly diminished with the flood, while the fauna associated with macrophytes and temporary breeding sites grew, this led to decreased diversity in the period studied. In forestry Paraitinga fauna was absent, so the modifications were minor qualitative and quantitative. We have found the following species of medical importance: Mansonia titillans, Anopheles galvaoi, Anopheles albitarsis s.l., Anopheles evansae, Anopheles intermedius, Anopheles cruzii, Anopheles lutzi, Anopheles triannulatus, Aedes albopictus, Aedeomyia squamipennis, Psorophora ferox, Culex (Melanoconion) sp., Culex amazonensis, Limatus durhami, Aedes scapularis, Aedes serratus.

No description available.

Vector born disease account for about one third of all cases of emerging diseases. Culex sp., particularly, is one of the most important mosquito vectors transmitting important diseases such as the West Nile virus, filariasis and related encephalitis. Because there are no vaccines available the most effectual means to prevent infections from the above diseases, is to target mosquitos to prevent bites and disease transmission. However, to be effective such a strategy, it is important to predict the temporal change in mosquito abundance as well as to study how it is affected by weather conditions. This dissertation is devoted on the development of new methods to predict arthropod vector dynamics and with emphasis on the development of stochastic models and computational methods for predicting Culex sp. abundance in Northern Greece. The current dissertation is divided in three parts. The first part explores the non-trivial associations between Culex sp. mosquito abundance and weather variables using traditional and straightforward novel techniques. The information from the first part was a prerequisite for developing a series of stochastic prediction models based on the most detrimental factors affecting mosquito abundance. In the second part, a series of conventional and conditional stochastic Markov chain models are applied for the first time to predict the non-linear dynamics of Culex sp. adult abundance. In the third part of the dissertation a soft computing approach is introduced to model the population dynamics of Culex sp. and a series of autoregressive artificial neural networks are implied. Finally, the information of the models is extrapolated and a machine learning algorithm is proposed to be used for predicting arthropod vector dynamics having practical implications for public health decision making. Based on the current results there was a high and positive correlation between temperature and mosquito abundance during both observation years (r = 0.6). However, a very poor correlation was observed between rain and weekly mosquito abundances (r = 0.29), as well as between wind speed (r = 0.29), respectively. Additionally, according to the multiple linear regression model the effect of temperature, was significant. The continuous power spectrum of the mosquito abundance counts and mean temperatures depict in most cases similar power for periods which are close to 1 week, indicating the point of the lowest variance of the time series, although appearing on slightly different moments of time. The cross wavelet coherent analysis showed that inter weekly cycles with a period between 2 and 3 weeks between mosquito abundance and temperature were coherent mostly during the first and the last weeks of the season. Hence, the wavelet analysis shows a progressive oscillation in mosquito occurrences with time, which is higher at the start and the end of the season. Moreover, in contrast with standard methods of analysis, wavelets can provide useful insights into the time-resolved oscillation structure of mosquito data and accompanying revealing a non-stationary association with temperature. According to the correlation results a climate-conditioned Markov Chain (CMC) model was developed and applied for the first time to predict the dynamics of vectors of important medical diseases. Temporal changes in mosquito population profiles were generated to simulate the probabilities of a high population impact. The probabilities achieved from the trained model are very near to the observed data and the CMC model satisfactorily describes the temporal evolution of the mosquito population process. In general, our numerical results indicate that it is more likely for the population system to move into a state of high population level, when the former is a state of a low population level than the opponent. Field data on frequencies of successive mosquito population levels, which were not used for the data inferred MC modeling, were assembled to obtain an empirical intensity transition matrix and the observed frequencies. The findings match to a certain degree the empirical results in which the probabilities follow analogous patterns while no significant differences were observed between the transition matrices of the CMC model and the validation data (ChiSq=14.58013, df=24, p=0.9324451). Furter, a soft system computing modeling approach was followed to simulate and predict Culex sp. abundances. Three dynamic artificial neural network (ANNs) models were developed and applied to describe and predict the non-linear incidence and time evolution of a medical important mosquito species Culex sp. in Northern Greece. The first is a simple nonlinear autoregressive ANN model that used lagged population values as inputs, the second is an exogenous non-linear autoregressive recurrent neural network (NARX), which is designed to take as inputs the temperature as exogenous variable and mosquito abundance as endogenous. Finally, the third model is a focused time-delay neural network (FTD), which takes in to account only the temperature variable as input to provide forecasts of the mosquito abundance as target variable. All three models behaved well considering the non-linear nature of the adult mosquito abundance data. However, the NARX model, which takes in to account temperature, showed the best overall modelling performances. Nevertheless, although, the NARX model predicted slight better (R=0.623) compared to the FTD model (R=0.534), the advantage of the FTD over the NARX neural network model is that it can be applied in the case where past values of the population system, here mosquito abundance, are not available for their forecasting. This is very important considering that arthropod vector data are not always available as climatic data. Concluding, the proposed methods for simulating and predicting mosquito dynamics are recommended as viable for modeling vector disease population dynamics in order to make real-time recommendations utile for dynamic health policies decision making. The proposed stochastic models, as well as the current computational and machine learning techniques, of this work provide an accurate abstraction of the arthropod vector population progress observed within the dataset used for their generation. Nevertheless, the current study may consider also as a new entry point into the extensive literature of ecological modelling, medical entomology, as well as in simulating arthropod vector diseases epidemics. From a public health standpoint, the current models have the potential to be integrated into a decision support system allowing health policy makers in their planning to initiate specific management actions against the period of high activity of mosquito adults.

No description available.

Culex quinquefasciatus has been identified as one of the most prominent vectors of West Nile virus (WNV) in Southern California. WNV is a zoonotic disease that is endemic in North America and is known to primarily cause flu-like symptoms in humans, and in rare cases, life-threatening conditions. The goal of this study was to identify which animal species are most frequently fed upon by these mosquitoes in this region. To examine the relationship between blood-feeding patterns and West Nile virus activity in San Bernardino County, the feeding patterns of Cx. quinquefasciatus are determined in a variety of habitat types, which was the primary focus of this study. Furthermore, potential shifts in seasonal blood-feeding patterns of this population of Cx. quinquefasciatus towards increased mammalian feeding was examined. The WNV activity in the county during 2011 was also analyzed. Over 740 Cx. quinquefasciatus samples were collected by West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District in San Bernardino County during 2011 from 34 different sites. DNA from the bloodmeals was extracted and purified, and a 658-base pair region of DNA located in the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c-oxidase I (COI) was amplified. This was followed by DNA sequencing of the PCR product, and identification of the individual sequences using the Bar Code of Life Data Systems. A total of 683 bloodmeals were successfully identified. These bloodmeals belong to 29 vertebrate species across four different habitats. It was found that species richness was not significantly different between habitats, even though the sample sizes for each habitat varied. Across habitats, the highest percentage of avian bloodmeals were taken from House Sparrows and House Finches. Bloodmeals were identified from five mammalian species which included Humans. A seasonal shift towards increased mammalian bloodmeal prevalence was observed in urban habitats. It was found that WNV activity during 2011 in San Bernardino County was relatively low when compared to the following six years.

No description available.

The Culicinae is the most extensive subfamily among the Culicidae family of mosquitoes. Two genera, Culex and Aedes, from this subfamily have world-wide distribution and are responsible for transmitting of several deadly diseases including Zika, West Nile fevers, chikungunya, dengue, and Rift Valley fevers. Developing high-quality genome assembly for mosquitoes, studying their population structure, and evolution can help to facilitate the development of new strategies for vector control. Studies on Aedes albopitcus as well as on species from the Culex pipiens complex, which are widely spread in the United States, provide excellent models on these topics. Ae. albopictus is one of the most dangerous invasive mosquito species in the world that transmits more than 20 arboviruses. This species has highly repetitive genome that is the largest among mosquito genomes sequenced so far. Thus, sequencing and assembling of such genome is extremally challenging. As a result, the lack of high-quality Ae. albopictus genome assembly has delayed the progress in understanding its biology. To produce a high-quality genome assembly, it was important to anchor genomic scaffolds to the cytogenetic map creating a physical map of the genome assembly. We first developed a new gene-based approach for the physical mapping of repeat-rich mosquito genomes. The approach utilized PCR amplification of the DNA probes based on complementary DNA (cDNA) that does not include repetitive DNA sequences. This method was then used for the development of a physical map for Ae. albopictus based on the in situ hybridization of fifty cDNA fragments or gene exons from twenty-four scaffolds to the mitotic chromosomes from imaginal discs. This study resulted in the construction of a first physical map of the Ae. albopictus genome as well as mapping viral integration and polyphenol oxidase genes. Moreover, comparing our present Ae. albopictus physical map to the current Ae. aegypti assembly indicated the presence of multiple chromosomal inversions between them. To better understand population structure and chromosome evolution in Culicinae mosquitoes, especially in the Culex pipiens complex, we studied genomic and chromosomal differentiation between two subspecies Cx. pipiens pipiens and Cx. pipiens molestus. For the species responsible for the spread of human diseases, understanding the population dynamics and processes of taxa diversification is important for an effective mosquito control . Two vectors of West Nile virus, Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus, exhibit epidemiologically important behavioral and physiological differences, but the whole-genome divergence between them was unexplored. The first goal of this study was to better understand the level of genomic differentiation and population structures of Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus from different continents. We sequenced and compared whole genomes of 40 individual mosquitoes from two locations in Eurasia and two in North America. Principal Component, ADMIXTURE, and neighbor joining analyses of the nuclear genomes identified two major intercontinental, monophyletic clusters of Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus. The level of genomic differentiation between the subspecies was uniform along chromosomes. The ADMIXTURE analysis determined signatures of admixture in Cx. p. pipens populations, but not in Cx. p. molestus populations. Thus, our study identified that Cx. p. molestus and Cx. p. pipiens represent different evolutionary units with monophyletic origin that have undergone incipient ecological speciation. The second goal was to study differences at the chromosome level between these two organisms. We first measured whole chromosome and chromosome arm length differences between Cx. p. molestus and Cx. p. pipiens as a basic cytogenetic approach. In addition, we used the novel Hi-C approach to detect chromosomal rearrangements between them since Hi-C was successful in detecting a known inversion in Cx. quinquefasciatus. Cx. p. molestus and Cx. p. pipiens embryos were used to perform the Hi-C technique. Analysis of the Hi-C data showed the presence of two different inversions in Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus heatmap, which could explain their different physiology and adaptation in nature. Developing modern genomic and cytogenetic tools is important to enhance the quality of genome assemblies, improve gene annotation, and provide a better framework for comparative and population genomics of mosquitoes; also it is the foundation for the development of novel genome-based approaches for vector control. / Doctor of Philosophy / Mosquitoes are medically important insects because they vector a range of diseases that infect humans. The subfamily Culicinae is responsible for transmitting such diseases as Zika, dengue, and West Nile fevers, which have triggered fatal infections and epidemics in multiple parts of the world. Since 2010-2016, studies have reported exceeding levels of insecticide resistance that slows the disease elimination process. Novel transgenic techniques have a tremendous potential for more efficiently minimizing mosquito-borne diseases and transmission. Availability of high-quality genome assemblies for mosquitoes may help to better understand their population structure and to develop effective and safe vector-control approaches that we urgently need. For the development of high-quality genome assemblies, we need to construct a physical genome map, that shows the physical locations of genes or other DNA sequences of interest along the chromosomes. For this reason, we developed a new gene-based approach for the physical mapping of the mosquito genomes. This method was then used for the development of a physical map for Ae. albopictus. This study resulted in the generation of the first physical map of the Ae. albopictus genome. To understand population structure in Culicinae mosquitoes, we used mosquitoes from the Culex pipiens complex. Species in this complex transmit different arthropod-borne viruses or arboviruses. Notable is the West Nile Virus, which has triggered fatal infections and epidemics in Eastern and Central Europe, North America and is also known in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Caribbean. We specifically focused on two subspecies in this complex, Cx. pipiens pipiens and Cx. pipiens molestus that are morphologically identical, but are different physiologically and behaviorally. Although they are spread globally in temperate regions, their population structure and taxonomic status remains unclear. The first goal of this study was to better understand the level of genomic differentiation of Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus from different continents. We sequenced and compared the whole genomes of 40 individual mosquitoes from two locations in Eurasia and two in North America. Our study identified that Cx. p. molestus and Cx. p. pipiens represent different evolutionary units that are currently undergoing ecological speciation. The second goal was to study differences at the chromosome level between them. Using the Hi-C approach we detected presence of two different inversions in Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. p. molestus, which could potentially explain their different physiology and adaptation.

Understanding chromosome structure and genome organization of Culicine mosquitoes can potentially contribute to the development of novel approaches to vector control. However, because of highly repetitive nature of the Aedes and Culex genomes, the structure of their polytene chromosomes is damaged by ectopic contacts that make the analysis difficult. Mitotic chromosomes from imaginal discs of 4th instar larvae of Aedes aegypti were tested as a source for the physical genome mapping for this mosquito. Chromosomes in imaginal discs are 10 times more abundant than chromosomes in nervous ganglia, and they do not accumulate chromosomal mutation as cell line chromosomes do. Prometaphase chromosomes in imaginal discs of Ae. aegypti are 4-5 times longer than metaphase chromosomes and can provide higher resolution for physical mapping. Cold temperature (+16°C) was proven to increase the number of the chromosomes. Hypotonic solution treatment of live larvae was proven to elongate chromosomes and improve banding patterns. We differentially stained these mitotic chromosomes with Giemsa and YOYO-1 to revile the banding pattern. We applied fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) procedure developed for human chromosomes to Ae. aegypti chromosomes. A strain from Culex pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus and their hybrids from the natural population in Virginia was successfully colonized in the laboratory. This strain can be used as a reliable source for cytogenetic studies. / Master of Science in Life Sciences