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Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
Tribolium is a globally distributed pest of stored grain and grain products, and the number one arthropod vector of vertebrate tapeworm, as well as a model for other pest beetles. For many decades, it was used to study insecticide resistance and population genetics/ecology, but genetic studies were rudimentary. During the last fifteen years, through efforts at Kansas State University and by collaborators in Germany, tremendous progress has been made, and Tribolium is now considered the second most powerful insect experimental system (after Drosophila) for genetic and molecular studies. In Manhattan, that effort has been led by Richard Beeman (USDA and ancillary faculty member of KSU), Rob Denell, and Susan Brown (Biology). Collectively, these
investigators have generated more than 50 papers on Tribolium, including those in such prestigious journals as Nature (2), Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They currently have active extramural grants totaling ca. $3M for their Tribolium research. The status of Tribolium as an experimental system is demonstrated by its choice by the National Institutes of Health as the fourth insect genome to be sequenced (after two Drosophila species, the malaria mosquito, and the honeybee). This sequencing effort, which cost over $2M, resulted from a proposal written by Brown and colleagues.
Until recently, the power of the Tribolium system has been utilized for experimental studies with two major foci. Beeman’s group has concentrated on the acquisition of insecticide resistance, while the Brown/Denell/Beeman group has utilized the insect for developmental genetic studies relevant to our understanding of the evolution of genetic mechanisms. More recently, other K-State faculty members have undertaken Tribolium studies.
Karl Kramer (USDA/Biochemistry), Michael Kanost (Biochemistry), Subbaratnam Muthukrishnan (Biochemistry) and Richard Beeman have two current and one pending NSF awards/proposal to study chitin
metabolism and cuticle scleritization. Entomology faculty member
Yoonseong Park studies neuropeptide and other hormone receptors, Rollie Clem (Biology) is assessing apoptosis, and Tonia Von Ohlen (Biology) is studying neurogenesis.
Brenda Oppert (USDA/Entomology) is using proteomics
and genomics to understand insect responses to digestive
proteinase inhibitors and microbial toxins. The recently sequenced Tribolium genome is currently being annotated; further analysis and development of a gene chip are major needs that will be addressed by TE funding. These resources will greatly enhance Tribolium research at K-State and elsewhere. |
