title: Lipid metabolism in Rhodnius prolixus: Lessons from the genome.
abstract: The kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus is both an important vector of Chagas' disease and an interesting model for investigation into the field of physiology, including lipid metabolism. The publication of this insect genome will bring a huge amount of new molecular biology data to be used in future experiments. Although this work represents a promising scenario, a preliminary analysis of the sequence data is necessary to identify and annotate the genes involved in lipid metabolism. Here, we used bioinformatics tools and gene expression analysis to explore genes from different genes families and pathways, including genes for fat breakdown, as lipases and phospholipases, and enzymes from β-oxidation, fatty acid metabolism, and acyl-CoA and glycerolipid synthesis. The R. prolixus genome encodes 31 putative lipase genes, including 21 neutral lipases and 5 acid lipases. The expression profiles of some of these genes were analyzed. We were able to identify nine phospholipase A2 genes. A variety of gene families that participate in fatty acid synthesis and modification were studied, including fatty acid synthase, elongase, desaturase and reductase. Concerning the synthesis of glycerolipids, we found a second isoform of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase that was ubiquitously expressed throughout the organs. Finally, all genes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation were identified, but not a long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. These results provide fundamental data to be used in future research on insect lipid metabolism and its possible relevance to Chagas' disease transmission.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: majerowicz@pharma.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Majerowicz
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata, CONICET-UNLP, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gustavo M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Calderón-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alves-Bezerra
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Iron F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: De Paula
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lívia S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata, CONICET-UNLP, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: M Patricia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Juárez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, INCT-EM, Brazil.
authors.forename: Georgia C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Atella
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, INCT-EM, Brazil.
authors.forename: Katia C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Gondim
mesh_terms: D000214:Acyl Coenzyme A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044942:Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Long-Chain / Q000235:genetics; D000445:Aldehyde Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D049750:Genome, Insect; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008049:Lipase / Q000235:genetics; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D005810:Multigene Family; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D054467:Phospholipases A2 / Q000235:genetics; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000214:Acyl Coenzyme A; D005227:Fatty Acids; D019476:Insect Proteins; D000445:Aldehyde Oxidoreductases; C027902:fatty acid reductase; D044942:Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase, Long-Chain; D008049:Lipase; D054467:Phospholipases A2
keywords: Bioinformatics; Gene family; Insect physiology; Lipid biosynthesis; Metabolic pathway; RT-PCR