Project description:Based on the generation of ESTs, we developed a spruce cDNA microarray composed of 21,843 cDNA elements selected from 12 cDNA libraries representing developmental stages of xylem, phloem, bark and roots, as well as elicitor-treated bark. Clones on the array were selected from a CAP3 assembly of 50,770 hq 3’ ESTs, and were carefully chosen to represent a minimally redundant gene set. Using this array we examined global changes in the transcriptome of Sitka spruce attacked for two days by stem-boring white pine weevils. Differentially expressed genes were determined using three criteria: fold-change between weevil-treated and untreated control > 1.5-fold, P value < 0.05 and Q value < 0.05. After 48 h of weevil feeding, 1,857 (8.5%) microarray elements identified transcripts as up-regulated, compared to 1,374 (6.3%) down-regulated. Keywords: Stress response
Project description:The common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum is a chelicerate model organism for studying developmental mechanisms and their evolution in arthropods. In contrast to the well-studied model insect, Drosophila melanogaster, embryos of the spider undergo patterning in a cellular environment from early stages (at least after the number of the nuclei increase to 16). Use of spider embryos provide new opportunities to understand the evolution of developmental mechanisms underlying arthropod body plans. This analysis aims to generate genome-scale, developmental profiles of gene expression in embryos of the spider P. tepidariorum, which facilitate a wide range of studies using this spider species.
Project description:We performed a transcriptome analysis of interior spruce (Picea glauca x engelmannii) bark response to weevil (Pissodes strobi) feeding using 21.8K spruce microarray (that contains 21.8 thousand unique transcripts). This microarray study revealed a large rearrangement of the interior spruce bark transcriptome in response to weevil feeding involving differential expression of close to 20% of the studied transcriptome.
