Meeting Abstract
Interactions between species are a fundamental feature of the natural world, occurring among organisms. A major domain which is less understood in modern biology is how animal species at the molecular and neurobehavioral levels interact with each other. In Parker lab, we propose to study a new model system, rove beetle that has evolved to live symbiotically inside colonies of social insects. This model organism can be exploited to address mechanistic questions. How does one species evolve the means to recognize and interact effectively with another species? Are there neural circuits for perception of other organisms? Does evolution co-opt pre-existing circuits to foster interspecies recognition and behavioral interactions? To answer these questions, we apply new technologies to the Greenhouse rove beetle, Dalotia coriaria. Dalotia embodies the free-living groundplan that has repeatedly spawned symbiosis in a family of rove beetles, Aleocharinae. Dalotia can serve as a recipient organism for the introduction of exogenous genes and modifications with genetic materials.Experimental approach of this research follows two main aims: 1) Engineering gene manipulation in Dalotia. The goal of this project is to determine how specific genes influence rove beetle’s brain and behavior, gland development and defensive compound biosynthesis. Engineering gene knockouts in Dalotia. To develop method for CRISPR/CAS9 gene editing via non-homologous end joining to make single gene knockouts in Dalotia. 2) Optimizing introduction of exogenous DNA into the Greenhouse rove beetle. A method was developed in Dalotia to transform the genome via transposon-mediated transgenesis. The goal of this project is to generate a transgenic toolkit for Dalotia neurobiology and chemical ecology.
