Rhodnius prolixus Transcriptome or Gene expression

Antenal transcriptome of a Chagas disease vector - The haematophagus bug Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae: Triatominae) is the second most important vector of Chagas disease in Latin American, especially in Colombia and Venezuela. Chagas disease is an important health problem in Latin America, where to 22 countries are endemic, 90-100 million people live in endemic areas, 8 million people are estimated to be infected and 12,000-14,000 deaths are reported annually. Considering the absence of a vaccine and an effective drug treatment, the vector control strategies are fundamental. The emergence of insecticide resistance in some bug populations, requires the improvement or development of vector control strategies for sustained control of Chagas disease. In Triatomines, as in other hemimetabolous insects, the imaginal moult represents significant changes at physiological and behavioural level. Our hypothesis is that the behavioural capacities acquire by adult bugs may be correlated with changes in gene expression or the function of the peripheral and central olfactory systems. In order to identify and characterize these molecular changes at peripheral level, we have sequenced the antennal transcriptomes of 5th instar larval, female and male adults of R. prolixus and characterized transcripts levels of the main sensory protein families.