Project description:Nosema is a diverse fungal genus of microsporidian unicellular, obligate symbionts of insects and other arthropods. We performed a comparative genomic analysis of N. muscidifuracis, a Nosema species infecting parasitoid wasp genus Muscidifurax, with six other genome-sequenced Nosema species. A sequence motif containing at least three consecutive Cs was significantly enriched immediately upstream of the start codon in all seven Nosema genomes. Interestingly, this motif is present in ~90% of highly expressed genes, compared to ~20% in lowly expressed genes N. muscidifuracis, which may function as a cis-regulatory element for gene expression control and regulation. Our study provides new insights into the gene regulation evolution in Nosema.
Project description:Newly emerged adult workers (24 hours old) were infected with 25,000 Nosema apis spores and 25,000 Nosema ceranae spores in sucrose solution. Controls were fed sucrose. Workers were maintained in cages in an incubator and collected at 14 days post-infection. Fat bodies (eviscerated abdomens) were dissected and whole genome expression in this tissue was compared across treatments using microarrays.
