title: The whole genome sequence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), reveals insights into the biology and adaptive evolution of a highly invasive pest species.
abstract: The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, is a major destructive insect pest due to its broad host range, which includes hundreds of fruits and vegetables. It exhibits a unique ability to invade and adapt to ecological niches throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, though medfly infestations have been prevented and controlled by the sterile insect technique (SIT) as part of integrated pest management programs (IPMs). The genetic analysis and manipulation of medfly has been subject to intensive study in an effort to improve SIT efficacy and other aspects of IPM control.
  
  
  
  The 479 Mb medfly genome is sequenced from adult flies from lines inbred for 20 generations. A high-quality assembly is achieved having a contig N50 of 45.7 kb and scaffold N50 of 4.06 Mb. In-depth curation of more than 1800 messenger RNAs shows specific gene expansions that can be related to invasiveness and host adaptation, including gene families for chemoreception, toxin and insecticide metabolism, cuticle proteins, opsins, and aquaporins. We identify genes relevant to IPM control, including those required to improve SIT.
  
  
  
  The medfly genome sequence provides critical insights into the biology of one of the most serious and widespread agricultural pests. This knowledge should significantly advance the means of controlling the size and invasive potential of medfly populations. Its close relationship to Drosophila, and other insect species important to agriculture and human health, will further comparative functional and structural studies of insect genomes that should broaden our understanding of gene family evolution.
authors.affiliation: Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexie
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authors.lastname: Papanicolaou
authors.affiliation: Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, 35394, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Schetelig
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
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authors.lastname: Arensburger
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Center for Disease Vector Research, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.|Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.affiliation: Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Seibersdorf, Vienna, Austria.|Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece.
authors.forename: Kostas
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authors.lastname: Bourtzis
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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authors.lastname: Castañera
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA.
authors.forename: John P
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authors.lastname: Cavanaugh
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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authors.affiliation: National Agricultural Library, USDA, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
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authors.affiliation: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Curril
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Huyen
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authors.lastname: Dinh
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: HarshaVardhan
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authors.lastname: Doddapaneni
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
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authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon
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authors.lastname: Dugan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA.
authors.forename: Markus
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authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliano
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authors.lastname: Gasperi
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
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authors.lastname: Geib
authors.affiliation: DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
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authors.lastname: Georgakilas
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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authors.lastname: Giers
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Ludvik M
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authors.lastname: Gomulski
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
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authors.lastname: González-Guzmán
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guillem-Amat
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Artemis G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hatzigeorgiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
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authors.lastname: Hernández-Crespo
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S T
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffery W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitra
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authors.lastname: Karagkouni
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koskinioti
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Malacrida
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Mosè
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manni
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mathiopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meccariello
authors.forename: Monica
authors.lastname: Munoz-Torres
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Shwetha C
authors.initials: SC
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authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Terence D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Muzny
authors.affiliation: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg
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authors.lastname: Oberhofer
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Félix
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authors.affiliation: DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria D
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authors.affiliation: National Agricultural Library, USDA, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Grazia
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authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
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authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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authors.affiliation: DIANA-Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 382 21 Volos, Greece and Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521, Athens, Greece.
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authors.forename: John H
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authors.affiliation: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ernst A
authors.initials: EA
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authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Antigone
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authors.affiliation: Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
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authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, 1700 S.W. 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA. al.handler@ars.usda.gov.
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mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D033622:Ceratitis capitata / Q000235:genetics*; D049750:Genome, Insect; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D058865:Introduced Species; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D010572:Pest Control, Biological
keywords: Chromosomal synteny; Gene family evolution; Insect adaptation; Insect invasiveness; Insect orthology; Medfly genome; Medfly integrated pest management (IPM); Tephritid genomics