Embryonic Development of the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus

The maternal gene bicoid (bcd) organizes anterior development in Drosophila. Its mRNA is localized at the anterior tip of the oocyte and early embryo. Antibodies raised against bcd fusion proteins recognize a 55-57 kd doublet band in Western blots of extracts of 0-4 hr old embryos. This protein is absent or reduced in embryonic extracts of nine of the 11 bcd alleles. The protein is concentrated in the nuclei of cleavage stage embryos. It cannot be detected in oocytes, indicating temporal control of bcd mRNA translation. The bcd protein is distributed in an exponential concentration gradient with a maximum at the anterior tip, reaching background levels in the posterior third of the embryo. The gradient is probably generated by diffusion from the local mRNA source and dispersed degradation.

Rhodnius prolixus not only has served as a model organism for the study of insect physiology, but also is a major vector of Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately seven million people worldwide. We sequenced the genome of R. prolixus, generated assembled sequences covering 95% of the genome (∼702 Mb), including 15,456 putative protein-coding genes, and completed comprehensive genomic analyses of this obligate blood-feeding insect. Although immune-deficiency (IMD)-mediated immune responses were observed, R. prolixus putatively lacks key components of the IMD pathway, suggesting a reorganization of the canonical immune signaling network. Although both Toll and IMD effectors controlled intestinal microbiota, neither affected Trypanosoma cruzi , the causal agent of Chagas disease, implying the existence of evasion or tolerance mechanisms. R . prolixus has experienced an extensive loss of selenoprotein genes, with its repertoire reduced to only two proteins, one of which is a selenocysteine-based glutathione peroxidase, the first found in insects. The genome contained actively transcribed, horizontally transferred genes from Wolbachia sp., which showed evidence of codon use evolution toward the insect use pattern. Comparative protein analyses revealed many lineage-specific expansions and putative gene absences in R . prolixus , including tandem expansions of genes related to chemoreception, feeding, and digestion that possibly contributed to the evolution of a blood-feeding lifestyle. The genome assembly and these associated analyses provide critical information on the physiology and evolution of this important vector species and should be instrumental for the development of innovative disease control methods.

Oskar is one of seven Drosophila maternal-effect genes that are necessary for germline and abdomen formation. We have cloned oskar and show that oskar RNA is localized to the posterior pole of the oocyte when germ plasm forms. This polar distribution of oskar RNA is established during oogenesis in three phases: accumulation in the oocyte, transport toward the posterior, and finally maintenance at the posterior pole of the oocyte. The colocalization of oskar and nanos in wild-type and bicaudal embryos suggests that oskar directs localization of the posterior determinant nanos. We propose that the pole plasm is assembled stepwise and that continued interaction among its components is required for germ cell determination.