Hox genes are essential transcription factors that establish segmental identity on the head–tail axis of all animals. Proper regulation of Hox gene expression and function is in part accomplished through the actions of a multitude of noncoding RNAs. One important class of noncoding RNA, the micro-RNAs (miRNAs), regulates gene activity through translational repression. The miR-10 family is highl...

Sequence analysis of 168 cDNA clones encoding 12 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits, Tcasalpha1-Tcasalpha11 and Tcasbeta1, from the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, revealed extensive post-transcriptional modification and multiple alleles. The greatest diversity was found for Tcasa6, where 18 unique transcripts, as a result of alternative and optional exon usage, were seen. A novel...

During vertebrate embryogenesis, most of the mesodermal tissue posterior to the head forms from a progenitor population that continuously adds blocks of muscles (the somites) from the back end of the embryo. Recent work in less commonly studied arthropods--the flour beetle Tribolium and the common house spider--provides evidence suggesting that this posterior growth process might be evolutionar...

Nutritional conditions during early development influence the plastic expression of adult phenotypes. Among several body modules of animals, the development of sexually selected exaggerated traits exhibits striking nutrition sensitivity, resulting in positive allometry and hypervariability distinct from other traits. Using de novo RNA sequencing and comprehensive RNA interference (RNAi) for epi...

Hox genes are essential transcription factors that establish segmental identity on the head–tail axis of all animals. Proper regulation of Hox gene expression and function is in part accomplished through the actions of a multitude of noncoding RNAs. One important class of noncoding RNA, the micro-RNAs (miRNAs), regulates gene activity through translational repression. The miR-10 family is highl...

Anterior patterning of animals is based on a set of highly conserved transcription factors but the interactions within the protostome anterior gene regulatory network (aGRN) remain enigmatic. Here, we identify the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum ortholog of foxQ2 (Tc-foxQ2) as a novel upstream component of the aGRN. It is required for the development of the labrum and higher order brain st...

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, has been widely used as a laboratory model for analyzing gene function. In this study, we established a novel cell line (Tc81) from T. castaneum embryos and validated the utility of this cell line by analyzing the juvenile hormone (JH) signaling pathway. In Tc81 cells, the Krüppel homolog 1 gene (Kr-h1), which is a JH-dependent repressor of insect meta...

For many parasites, especially those that obligately kill the host for transmission, host age is crucially important to determine success. Here, we have experimentally investigated this relationship with the microsporidian parasite, Nosema whitei, in its host, the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum. We find that infection is only possible in young larvae and that spore load at the time of tr...

This is a review of current post-harvest entomology research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service, the research branch of the US Department of Agriculture. The review covers both durable and perishable commodities. Research on biochemistry, genetics, physiology, monitoring and control of insects infesting stored grain, dried fruits and nuts, and processed commodities is reviewed. Rese...

InSatDb presents an interactive interface to query information regarding microsatellite characteristics per se of five fully sequenced insect genomes (fruit-fly, honeybee, malarial mosquito, red-flour beetle and silkworm). InSatDb allows users to obtain microsatellites annotated with size (in base pairs and repeat units); genomic location (exon, intron, up-stream or transposon); nature (perfect...