title: Functional genomics of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (Linnaeus, 1758).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The horn fly, Haematobia irritans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae) is one of the most important ectoparasites of pastured cattle. Horn flies infestations reduce cattle weight gain and milk production. Additionally, horn flies are mechanical vectors of different pathogens that cause disease in cattle. The aim of this study was to conduct a functional genomics study in female horn flies using Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) analysis and RNA interference (RNAi).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A cDNA library was made from whole abdominal tissues collected from partially fed adult female horn flies. High quality horn fly ESTs (2,160) were sequenced and assembled into 992 unigenes (178 contigs and 814 singlets) representing molecular functions such as serine proteases, cell metabolism, mitochondrial function, transcription and translation, transport, chromatin structure, vitellogenesis, cytoskeleton, DNA replication, cell response to stress and infection, cell proliferation and cell-cell interactions, intracellular trafficking and secretion, and development. Functional analyses were conducted using RNAi for the first time in horn flies. Gene knockdown by RNAi resulted in higher horn fly mortality (protease inhibitor functional group), reduced oviposition (vitellogenin, ferritin and vATPase groups) or both (immune response and 5'-NUC groups) when compared to controls. Silencing of ubiquitination ESTs did not affect horn fly mortality and oviposition while gene knockdown in the ferritin and vATPse functional groups reduced mortality when compared to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results advanced the molecular characterization of this important ectoparasite and suggested candidate protective antigens for the development of vaccines for the control of horn fly infestations.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Km, 5 carretera Victoria-Mante, CP 87000 Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Almazán
authors.forename: Nieves
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ayllón
authors.forename: Ruth C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Galindo
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosario-Cruz
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Quiroz-Romero
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Fuente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D015723:Gene Library; D049750:Genome, Insect; D023281:Genomics; D009117:Muscidae / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA