Studies on new arthropod models are shifting our knowledge of embryonic patterning and morphogenesis beyond the Drosophila paradigm. In contrast to Drosophila, most insect embryos exhibit the short or intermediate-germ type and become enveloped by extensive extraembryonic membranes. The genetic basis of these processes has been the focus of active research in several insects, especially Tribolium castaneum. The processes in question are very dynamic, however, and to study them in depth we require advanced tools for fluorescent labelling of live embryos. In my work, I have used a transient method for strong, homogeneous and persistent expression of fluorescent markers in Tribolium embryos, labelling the chromatin, membrane, cytoskeleton or combinations thereof. I have used several of these new live imaging tools to study the process of cellularisation in Tribolium, and I found that it is strikingly different to what is seen in Drosophila. I was also able to define the stage when cellularisation is complete, a key piece of information that has been unknown until now. Lastly, I carried out extensive live imaging of embryo condensation and extraembryonic tissue formation in both wildtype embryos, and embryos in which caudal gene function was disrupted by RNA interference. Using this approach, I was able to describe and compare cell and tissue dynamics in Tribolium embryos with wild-type and altered fate maps. As well as uncovering several of the cellular mechanisms underlying condensation, I have proposed testable hypotheses for other aspects of embryo formation. The work presented in this thesis will serve as a foundation for future studies on cellularisation and tissue morphogenesis in Tribolium. Furthermore, the live imaging method, the fluorescent labelling constructs, and the analysis I carried out should be easily adaptable to other non-model arthropod species.

Master of Science / Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Interdepartmental Program / Subbaratnam Muthukrishnan / The exoskeleton of insects, the cuticle, functions as a support structure and a physical barrier that protects insects from mechanical damage and dehydration. The exoskeleton is mainly made of chitin and proteins, some cross-linked to one another into certain patterns to form the rigid and resistant cuticle. In previous studies from our laboratory, cuticular proteins analogous to peritrophins (CPAPs) and Knickkopf (Knk) were identified and characterized mainly at the pharate adult stage during insect development. However, the dynamic assembly of both CPAP and Knk into the cuticle and the functions of the CPAPs are still not fully understood. Our study is to investigate how these cuticular proteins are assembled into the cuticle during different developmental stages and carry out their functional characterizations in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. RNA interference (RNAi) experiments that resulted in down-regulation of transcripts for CPAP 1-C, CPAP1-H, CPAP 1-J, CPAP 3-C and Knk genes resulted in molting defects. Confocal and transmission electron microscopic analysis examined protein expression at twelve stages of development, as well as the span from young larva through adult day 3 stages. The results suggested that the CPAP 3-C protein is present in the lower part of endocuticle in the so-called assembly zone and it was not distributed thoughout the procuticle with chitin. Down-regulation of CPAP 3-C transcripts revealed a disorganized assembly zone; however, no loss of chitin content or the laminar architecture of the procuticle was found. Knk protein was present throughout the procuticle and some of the protein was found inside of the epithelial cells.

No description available.

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mutations in PINK1 (PTEN-induced Kinase 1) are the second most common cause of early-onset Parkinson’s Disease (PD). PINK1 is believed to maintain mitochondrial integrity by orchestrating mitophagy of dysfunctional mitochondria through phosphorylation of its substrate, Parkin. However, the effects of PD-associated mutations remain unclear. To investigate this, a PINK1 orthologue, Tribolium castaneum PINK1 (TcPINK1), was genetically engineered and purified for biochemical studies. Then, TcPINK1 was reacted against the Ubiquitin-like domain (UBL1-76) of Parkin and other proteins with a similar beta-grasp fold including Ubiquitin, ATG8, NEDD8, and SUMO using an in vitro radioisotopic filter-based kinase assay. The data revealed that TcPINK1’s preferred substrate with the highest amount of activity was UBL followed by Ubiquitin, NEDD8, and SUMO, with no activity against ATG8, which lacks a Serine residue equivalent to the phosphorylated residue in UBL. NEDD8 and SUMO were phosphorylated even though they are not substrates which suggests that PINK1 is capable of nonspecific phosphorylation of proteins with a similar fold to UBL. In addition, it is possible that the phosphorylation of Ubiquitin as reported in the literature may be nonspecific as well. TcPINK1 point mutations equivalent to the PD-associated human PINK1 mutations were genetically engineered, purified, and reacted against UBL. The P374L mutant showed a similar activity to wild type, and the A194D, G285D, and S289M mutants showed a significant decrease in activity. Since P374 resides in the C-lobe of the kinase away from the active site, the data suggest that this residue may not be involved with catalysis or with UBL binding. As A194, G285, and S289 all reside in the N-lobe near the active site, the data suggest that these point mutations may be involved with catalysis. In conclusion, the data suggest that PINK1 specificity for Parkin may involve binding outside of the UBL domain. / 2024-05-26

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Entomology / James F. Campbell / Kun Yan Zhu / Aerosol applications of reduced risk insecticides such as synergized pyrethrin and insect growth regulators (IGR) are part of food industry integrated pest management programs. Since aerosols cannot penetrate into hidden areas exploited by pests such as the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, the potential for these insecticides to effect beetle populations was evaluated. Because IGRs do not cause immediate mortality, the potential of horizontal transfer for an IGR from treated to untreated individuals was also examined. Results showed that when untreated T. castaneum, larvae or pupae, were added to flour containing methoprene, IGR, treated larvae, pupae or adults, the untreated individuals exhibited evidence of methoprene exposure (external deformities and reduced survival). Evaluation of the different mechanisms of transfer indicated that contact with methoprene treated individuals or flour that had been in contact with treated individuals may be the primary method of methoprene transfer. Since aerosols are often applied as a combination of IGR and pyrethrin with a carrier, the effect of these components was evaluated. Applications of synergized pyrethrin caused knockdown of adults but affected adults recovered and progeny production was not effected. Exposure of eggs to these insecticides reduced egg hatch. Food material accumulations inside food facilities can potentially increase or reduce insecticide efficacy. Evaluation of different flour residue levels, representing different sanitation levels, revealed that sanitation alone reduced immature development. As flour residue depths increased more individuals developed into adults but very few developed in the insecticide treatments. Food facilities that use aerosol insecticides apply them at regular intervals, so the cumulative effects of these treatments were considered. Experiments evaluating repeated insecticide exposures indicated that the direct morality from synergized pyrethrin not the horizontal transfer of methoprene was the primary factor in population reduction. Overall findings suggested that methoprene is highly mobile between different surfaces. Exposure of untreated individual beetle larvae to treated larvae or pupae or to flour that has been in contact with exposed beetles can have detrimental effects on development or survival, but these effects may be highly variable and even in cumulative exposures the overall level of population suppression is limited.

Un objectif important de la biologie du développement est de comprendre la base cellulaire de la morphogenèse, notamment le destin des différentes cellules souches dans l'embryon en développement. En décrivant la morphogenèse des espèces représentatives des différents groupes ou embranchements, on fournit une base solide pour comparer les processus similaires dans les différents organismes, et pour tirer des conclusions sur l'évolution des plans d'organisation des animaux. À cette fin, les scientifiques développent des techniques chez des espèces sélectionnées - celles-ci comprennent la manipulation de la fonction des gènes, le marquage et le suivi des populations distinctes de cellules, et l'imagerie in vivo.Dans cette thèse, je présente mes efforts pour améliorer la boîte à outils génomique du coléoptère Tribolium castaneum. J'utilise une technique d'édition du génome récemment découverte, CRISPR/Cas, pour introduire des modifications précises dans le génome de Tribolium, y compris l'introduction de grands fragments par recombinaison homologue. Je montre que l'expression de tous les composants de CRISPR/Cas est induite de manière efficace par des promoteurs endogènes de Tribolium. En me basant sur ces résultats, je développe VALCYRIE, une approche transgénique pourmarquer des clones de cellules uniques dans l'embryon de Tribolium.Ce travail me permet d'enquêter sur le devenir des cellules dans la région terminale postérieure du blastoderme de Tribolium. En utilisant une approche de marquage clonal, je montre que ces cellules donnent naissance à des cellules germinales primordiales et aumésoderme postérieur. Avec la même méthode, je montre que l'intestin postérieur de Tribolium se développe à partir d'une population distincte de cellules au début de la bandelette germinale. En utilisant une technique de microscopie timelapse haute résolution, je décris le sort de cellules individuelles dans le blastoderme de Triboliumet je fais la lumière sur le plan de développement des segments gnathal et thoracique de l'embryon à ce stade. En outre, je montre que l'amnios de Tribolium augmente considérablement au cours du développement précoce. En me basant sur des données d'imagerie, je passe en revue la cartographie du devenir de la bandelette germinale en ce qui concerne l'amnios et l'ectoderme embryonnaire / An important objective of developmental biology is to understand the cellular basis of morphogenesis, including fates of distinct progenitor cells in the developing embryo. Describing morphogenesis in representative species of different groups or phyla provides a solid basis for comparing similar processes in different organisms, and for drawing conclusions about the evolution of animal body plans. To this end, scientists develop techniques in selected species - these include manipulation of gene function, marking and tracking of distinct populations of cells, and in vivo imaging.In this thesis, I present my efforts to enhance the genomic toolkit of the beetle Tribolium castaneum. I use a recently discovered genome editing technique, CRISPR/Cas, to introduce precise alterations in the Tribolium genome, including the introduction of large fragments by homologous recombination. I show that all CRISPR/Cas components are driven efficiently by endogenous Tribolium promoters. Based on these results, I develop VALCYRIE, a transgenic approach to mark single cell clones in developing Tribolium embryos.This work allows me to investigate the fates of the cells in the posterior terminal region of the Tribolium blastoderm. Using a clonal labeling approach, I demonstrate that these cells give rise to primordial germ cells and posterior mesoderm. With the same technique, I demonstrate that the hindgut of Tribolium develops from a distinct cell population in the early germband. Using high-resolution time lapse microscopy, I describe the fates of single cells in the Triboliumblastodermand shed new light on the fatemap of gnathal and thoracic segments of the embryo at this stage. Furthermore, Ishow that the amnion of Tribolium expands greatly during early development. Based on imaging data, I review the fate map of the early germ band with regard to the amnion and the embryonic ectoderm

Master of Science / Department of Biochemistry / Michael R. Kanost / Resilin is a rubber-like cuticular protein found in many insect species. Resilin is important for jumping and flying of those insects due to the properties of high elasticity and efficient energy storage. Some recombinant proteins or peptides derived from resilin sequences have been synthesized to produce biomaterials that mimic the remarkable properties of resilin. This research focused on resilin in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. A cDNA for T. castaneum resilin was inserted into plasmid vectors for expression of resilin in Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilus. Resilin produced in E. coli was used as antigen to produce a rabbit antiserum. Resilin synthesized by B. subtilis as a secreted protein was purified and used for biochemical studies. Resilin is highly expressed in the late pupal stage, and in hind wings, but not found in elytra of pharate adults, indicated by RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis. Recombinant resilin could be cross-linked in the presence of horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide, detected by appearance of a high molecular weight band on SDS-PAGE, which had blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light, presumably due to dityrosine linkages. RNA interference was used to knock down resilin expression in T. castaneum. Immunoblot and RT-PCR analyses indicated that resilin expression was successfully decreased by RNAi. However, the knockdown adults exhibited no apparent differences in morphology, behavior or life span from control beetles. Blue fluorescence under ultraviolet illumination has frequently been used as an indication of the presence of resilin containing dityrosine cross-links in insect tissues such as wings, wing tendons and leg joints. A similar blue fluorescence was observed in hind wings of T. castaneum. However, this fluorescence was not decreased in hind wings of beetles in which resilin expression was knocked down by RNA interference. There was a blue fluorescence in the hind wings of knockdown beetles, which was similar in distribution to that in wings of control insects. This result suggests that the observed blue fluorescence in T. castaneum hind wings is derived not only from cross-linked resilin but also from components other than resilin, perhaps other cuticular proteins that contain dityrosine cross-links.

Master of Science / Department of Biochemistry / Gerald Reeck / Aphids mount a remarkable salivary secretion to overcome plant host defenses. Our group has previously reported a gene unique to aphids enriched in the salivary glands of the pea aphid A. pisum, C002, which is required for successful feeding on its host plant Vicia fava. Here I present an analysis of genetic variation within the available EST data for C002 in pea aphids. From 596 total ESTs, 332 are full-length, and segregate into 8 validated haplotypes based on the criteria I set in place to access the quality of EST data. Additionally, Armet, is a putative multi-functional gene implicated as a neurotrophic factor during development, and as a part of the unfolded protein response during stress. I employ RNA interference in the model organism T. castaneum to determine the effect of transcript knockdown during development from early in-star larval stages, through pupation, and its effect on adult emergence. I report that knockdown of Armet transcript significantly hinders the ability for beetles to emerge from the pupae.

No description available.