First beetle genome published
Pete Wilton | 26 Mar 08
The first complete DNA sequence of a beetle has been published. David Sattelle and Andrew Jones from the MRC Functional Genetics Unit at Oxford are amongst the large international team who report their findings online in Nature.
UPDATE: Listen to a podcast featuring David Sattelle commenting on this research on the MRC site.
The inverterbrate in question is the red flour beetle, which as the name suggests is a warehouse pest capable of eating its way through millions of pounds worth of grain and cereal products. The sequencing of its genome could help in fighting such infestations but, as beetles are amongst the most successful and diverse creatures on the planet, the information gained will also help scientists to understand the way that many animals, including humans, function.
Oxford's David Sattelle said: ‘Work on simple invertebrate animals has paved the way, not only for modern genetics, but also for the new field of genomics. This particular beetle has been studied for many years by biologists interested in how organisms develop and fascinatingly, important genes controlling development are shared by humans and the simplest animals. So, it is important for the benefits it will bring to developmental biology.’
The contents of an organism’s genome reflect how it lives its life; in the genome of this beetle the researchers found many receptor molecules and hormones associated with life in an extremely dry environment. David commented: 'Charles Darwin harboured a passion for beetles and now nearly 200 years later his insights into evolution by natural selection have been used to understand the DNA of the red flour beetle. The consortium has applied Darwin’s evolutionary principles to highlight a fascinating expansion in the beetle’s repertoire of certain proteins, notably hormones and receptors involved in its adaptations to dry, chemically-diverse environments.’
Image: The red flour beetle (Triboleum castaneum).
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