Transcriptome profiling of sexual maturation and mating in the mediterranean fruit fly, ceratitis capitata

Ludvik M. Gomulski, George Dimopoulos, Zhiyong Xi, Francesca Scolari, Paolo Gabrieli, Paolo Siciliano, Anthony R. Clarke, Anna R. Malacrida, Giuliano Gasperi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sexual maturation and mating in insects are generally accompanied by major physiological and behavioural changes. Many of these changes are related to the need to locate a mate and subsequently, in the case of females, to switch from mate searching to oviposition behaviour. The prodigious reproductive capacity of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, is one of the factors that has led to its success as an invasive pest species. To identify the molecular changes related to maturation and mating status in male and female medfly, a microarray-based gene expression approach was used to compare the head transcriptomes of sexually immature, mature virgin, and mated individuals. Attention was focused on the changes in abundance of transcripts related to reproduction, behaviour, sensory perception of chemical stimulus, and immune system processes. Broad transcriptional changes were recorded during female maturation, while post-mating transcriptional changes in females were, by contrast, modest. In male medfly, transcriptional changes were consistent both during maturation and as a consequence of mating. Of particular note was the lack of the mating-induced immune responses that have been recorded for Drosophila melanogaster, that may be due to the different reproductive strategies of these species. This study, in addition to increasing our understanding of the molecular machinery behind maturation and mating in the medfly, has identified important gene targets that might be useful in the future management of this pest.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere30857
JournalPloS one
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 27 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
  • General

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