Meeting Abstract

P2.64  Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30  Expression analysis of a novel appendage in the Dipteran Themira biloba using mRNA-Seq MELICHER, DM*; TORSON, A; BOWSHER, J; North Dakota State University dacotah.melicher@my.ndsu.edu

The evolution of novel traits allow organisms to make use of resources previously unavailable to them and generates new physiological pathways and behavior. Investigation of novel traits allows us to identify the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for producing such traits. The sepsid fly Themira biloba (Diptera: Sepsidae) has a novel, sexually dimorphic, jointed appendage that forms from histoblast nests in the fourth abdominal segment during pupation. The appendage is used for complex mating behavior and is absent in some sepsid species. Our objective is to identify the genes which pattern an appendage from histoblast nests which lack complex organization when compared to imaginal discs. T. biloba is a non-model species with limited sequence resources. We have obtained mRNA 454 sequence for whole organisms in egg, larva, and pupae stages and developed a transcriptomic reference. Further sequencing was performed for 3rd male, 4th male, and 4th female segments in wandering-phase larva using the Illumina platform to identify genes which are differentially expressed in these segments and may be implicated in patterning the appendage during pupation. Differentially expressed T. biloba sequences were annotated using Drosophila transcripts categorized by function.