Transcriptome Analysis of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Culicinomyces clavisporus

Culicinomyces clavisporus is an entomopathogenic fungus that can infect mosquito larvae, such as Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Anopheles stephensi. Whereas most fungal entomopathogens infect hosts through the cuticle, C. clavisporus initiates infection through ingestion. This suggests that the C. clavisporus genome may be mined for novel pathogenicity factors with the potential for vector control. To this end, a transcriptome analysis was initiated. The strain C. clavisporus ARSEF 582 was grown in modified PYG liquid cultures that was supplemented with whole, insect larvae (Galleria mellonella) to elicit the expression of genes involved in host-pathogen relationships. Total RNA samples were extracted and processed for cDNA library construction and Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing (PacBio platform). A total of 3,512,145 reads were produced. Assembly of these reads was completed using CD-HIT-EST and revealed 8,266 unigenes. A phylogenetic analysis using actin gene sequences showed the C. clavisporus is closely related to both D. coniospora and H. rhossiliensis. The transcriptome annotation revealed 10 genes of interest to entomopathogenic fungi infection methods, including those potentially linked to the oral infection method. Of those 10 genes, 4 genes have functions related to cellular processes aiding in virulence, 4 genes linked to cuticle degradation, and 2 genes with potential links to the oral infection process. Overall, the number of unigenes identified from the transcriptomic analysis showed greater abundance of unigenes with possible link to oral infection than compared to cuticular degradation. This suggests that C. clavisporus utilizes oral infection as its main mode of infection

Remote sensing and core data needed to support planning and policy decision making

A variety of sustainable development research efforts and related activities are attempting to reconcile the issues of conserving our natural resources without limiting economic motivation while also improving our social equity and quality of life. Land use/land cover change, occurring on a global scale, is an aggregate of local land use decisions and profoundly impacts our environment. It is therefore the local decision making process that should be the eventual target of many of the ongoing data collection and research efforts which strive toward supporting a sustainable future. Satellite imagery data is a primary source of data upon which to build a core data set for use by researchers in analyzing this global change. A process is necessary to link global change research, utilizing satellite imagery, to the local land use decision making process. One example of this is the NASA-sponsored Regional Data Center (RDC) prototype. The RDC approach is an attempt to integrate science and technology at the community level. The anticipated result of this complex interaction between research and the decision making communities will be realized in the form of long-term benefits to the public