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Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics
The Genetics Of Ray Pattern Variation In Caenorhabditis Briggsae, Scott Everet Baird, Cynthia R. Davidson, Justin C. Bohrer
The Genetics Of Ray Pattern Variation In Caenorhabditis Briggsae, Scott Everet Baird, Cynthia R. Davidson, Justin C. Bohrer
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Background: How does intraspecific variation relate to macroevolutionary change in morphology? This question can be addressed in species in which derived characters are present but not fixed. In rhabditid nematodes, the arrangement of the nine bilateral pairs of peripheral sense organs (rays) in tails of males is often the most highly divergent character between species. The development of ray pattern involves inputs from hometic gene expression patterns, TGFβ signalling, Wnt signalling, and other genetic pathways. In Caenorhabditis briggsae, strain-specific variation in ray pattern has provided an entrée into the evolution of ray pattern. Some strains were fixed for a derived …
A Defensin-Like Gene Expressed In The Black-Legged Tick, Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), Wayne L. Hynes, S. M. Ceraul, S. M. Todd, K. C. Seguin, Daniel E. Sonenshine
A Defensin-Like Gene Expressed In The Black-Legged Tick, Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), Wayne L. Hynes, S. M. Ceraul, S. M. Todd, K. C. Seguin, Daniel E. Sonenshine
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The black-legged tick Ixodes scapularis linnaeus (Acari: Ixodidae) is an important vector of microbial pathogens. Knowledge of the tick's innate immune response, particularly defensin and other antimicrobial peptides, is important for understanding how microbes survive in this tick. A defensin gene (slnA) from I. scapularis was obtained by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using mRNA extracted from tissues of female ticks. RT-PCR indicated the gene was expressed in the midgut, haemocytes, and fat-body, although no evidence of a peptide was found. Sequencing a cloned cDNA fragment revealed a 225 bp open reading frame encoding a 74 amino acid pre-prodefensin, including …