PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Ceratitis capitata”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Molecular characterization and chromosomal localization of female-specific genes from the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae).

We report here the molecular characterization of the female-specific FST (female-specific transcript) genes from the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata. A genomic clone was isolated, containing a sequence coding for FST. Nucleotide analysis of the clone showed that the gene contains a putative unique intron located in the region encoding the signal peptide. Southern blotting and in situ hybridization analysis on polytene chromosomes suggested the presence of additional genes similar to FST in the genome of the medfly. A novel cDNA clone was isolated from an accessory gland cDNA library, encoding a product that shares 98% identity with the hypothetical translational product of the previously isolated FST cDNA. The novel cDNA was therefore named FST2. The analysis of mitotic and polytene chromosomes by in situ hybridization showed that FST genes map on the left arm of the 4th chromosome of C. capitata.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Ultrastructural localization of acid phosphatase in spermatic cells of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera).

The cytochemical study of acid phosphatase in spermatic cells of Ceratitis capitata defines the enzimatically active sites, relating this enzyme with morphological modifications of the cell components during spermiogenesis. In the axoneme, acid phosphatase is associated with the metabolism of phosphates which promote flagellar motility. The enzymatic activity verified on the cytoplasmic membranes demonstrates the importance of this enzyme in the process of cellular differentiation.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1994

Cytogenetic analysis of chromosome 5 from the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

A cytogenetic map of chromosome 5 from the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, was constructed. Six mutations were located by translocation, transposition or deletion mapping. This knowledge allowed alignment and orientation of the existing linkage map with the polytene chromosomes. In addition, mapping of mutations used as selectable markers in genetic sex-separation strains is an essential prerequisite for the improvement of genetic stability during mass-rearing.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The construction of the first balancer chromosome for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

The construction of the first balancer chromosome, FiM1, for the medfly Ceratitis capitata is described. This chromosome has three overlapping pericentric inversions and is marked with dominant and recessive mutations. The inversion breakpoints of FiM1 suppress recombination throughout the length of the fifth chromosome, allowing lethal mutations to be recovered and maintained. This chromosome will provide a powerful tool for the manipulation of laboratory stocks, in particular, the recovery of new mutant and transgenic strains. We demonstrate the use of FiM1 for the recovery and maintenance of chromosomes carrying lethal mutations.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Primary structure of cytochrome c from the insect Ceratitis capitata.

The complete amino acid sequence of cytochrome c from the Dipterous Ceratitis capitata (serie Acalypterae) has been determined by combining automatic and manual methods of sequence analysis. No overlaps between positions 79 and 80, 86 and 87, 91 and 92 as well as between 99 and 100 were obtained. The alignment of these peptides was done by homology with other sequences of cytochromes c from insects already described. Comparison with the sequences of cytochromes c of other Diptera studied so far shows three changes (positions 50, 60 and 61, according to vertebrate cytochrome c numeration) from the Acalypteran Drosophila melanogaster and five changes (positions 9, 36, 50, 60 and 61) from that of the Calypteran Haematobia irritans.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Isolation and partial characterization of two alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes from the medfly Ceratitis capitata.

Two alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes, namely ADH-1 and ADH-2 from Ceratitis capitata were purified to homogeneity and further characterized. After ammonium sulphate precipitation from an extract of whole third instar larvae, the two isozymes were separated by ion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose. A combination of affinity chromatography, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography was then used to purify each isozyme (50 and 57 times with 53 and 58% yields, for ADH-1 and -2 respectively). A crucial step for obtaining homogeneous enzyme preparations was affinity chromatography on Cibacron Blue Sepharose coupled with specific elution with NAD. Each of the isozymes is a dimer with subunit molecular weight of approximately 27 kDa. Both isozymes show a pH optimum of 9.6. ADH-1 proved to be immunochemically similar to ADH-2 when tested by Western blot analysis using polyclonal antibodies raised against ADH-1. While crude extracts of Dacus oleae ADH cross-react with these antibodies, no cross reactivity was observed with Drosophila melanogaster extracts. The sequence of a 22-residue peptide from ADH-1 was determined and showed 36% identity with residues 26-47 of the Drosophila melanogaster ADH sequence. Both the sizes of the purified proteins and the observed sequence similarity between ADH-1 and Drosophila ADH strongly suggest that the medfly ADH isozymes belong to the family of short chain dehydrogenases.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1999

Mating-induced inhibition of remating in female Mediterranean fruit flies Ceratitis capitata.

Mechanisms producing inhibition of remating in mated female Mediterranean fruit flies Ceratitis capitata, were investigated by matings with surgically altered males. Comparison of remating by females mated with either intact control males or males with a shortened penis, showed that ejaculate or a physical stimulus of penis insertion caused remating inhibition for at least 10 days after first mating. Remating frequency at two days after mating was significantly higher in females mated to castrated (spermless) males than in females mated to sham-operated control males. This difference disappeared by day four after mating, indicating that sperm cause a shorter-term inhibition of remating than does a normal first mating. Other factors in addition to sperm must therefore play a role in inhibition of remating.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Recovery of a marked translocation strain that will facilitate the isolation of balancer chromosomes in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

The results of two screens for mutations and chromosomal aberrations in Ceratitis capitata are presented. Three dominant mutations were recovered, including Sb, which is associated with a homozygous lethal translocation between the third and fifth chromosomes, T(3;5)Sb, with the fifth chromosome breakpoint adjacent to y. The T(3;5)Sb chromosome is maintained by selecting for Sb in a T(3;5)Sb, w2 Sb y2 wp/w2 y2 wp stock and can be used to distinguish between other chromosomes carrying differential combinations of the recessive markers w2 y2 wp. The ability to isolate particular marked chromosomes is essential in order to recover an inversion-based balancer chromosome. In addition to the recovery of dominant mutations, gamma-ray induced somatic mosaics of w2 and y2 and zygotic w mosaics were found. The generation of zygotic mosaics following mutagenesis can give mutants with a mosaic germ line that fail to breed true in the first generation. A screen of 22,830 irradiated chromosomes failed to recover variegating alleles of w, although such alleles might be recovered in a larger screen. The high frequency of dominant mutations and the instability at the w locus in our stocks implies a background level of dysgenic activity. These results have implications for the construction and long-term maintenance of genetically modified strains.

Alleles↗
PubMed1979

Lipid requirements for the structure and function of the fatty acid synthetase complex from Ceratitis capitata.

Lipid content of purified fatty acid synthetase preparations from the Dipterous Ceratitis capitata correlated with the enzyme activity. Delipidation of the enzyme by extracting with a series of organic solvents rendered a protein without any residual activity and the treatment with phospholipase A2 for 30 min reduced the activity to 10%. Addition of lipid classes to either the native enzyme or the phospholipase-treated preparation enhanced the activity in a different manner, phosphatidylethanolamine being the most effective lipid. The role of the lipids in the lipoprotein structure of the complex was studied by circular dichroism spectra of the native enzyme and in the presence of a concentration range of urea, guanidinium chloride, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium cholate, and sodium chloride. 3 M urea and 1.5 M guanidinium chloride induced a conformational transition of the lipoprotein that lost its alpha-helical structure at higher concentrations of both reagents. Sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium cholate had little effect on the alpha-helical structure, although both reagents induced the loss of enzyme activity. Cholate had essentially the same effect as phospholipids on the maintenance of the native structure but it was unable to support the enzyme activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[Effect of selection on the criterion of resistance to starvation in adults of Ceratitis capitata Wied (Diptera, Trypetidae)].

The mecanisms of resistance to starvation of adult Ceratitis capitata are analysed. This study is based on comparison of two laboratory strains: one which was previously selected for "resistance to starvation" the other which has never been selected. Resistance to starvation appears to be determined, on the one hand by reserves in the insect and their hourly rate of utilisation on the other hand by the efficiency of the antidiuretic system. The selection, which increased adult resistance to starvation acted upon these three factors. It modified the strategy of energy utilisation by inducing a more economic energy budget.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

cDNA cloning, heat shock regulation and developmental expression of the hsp83 gene in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata.

This report presents the cDNA cloning, heat shock regulation and developmental expression of the hsp90 gene homologue of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (medfly). The isolated cDNA contained the coding region, the 3'UTR and most of the 5'UTR of the medfly hsp90 homologue, which was named Cchsp83. The deduced CcHSP83 polypeptide contained all the highly conserved amino acid segments that characterize the cytosolic members of the HSP90 family. Genomic analysis showed that the Cchsp83 gene is unique and was mapped at the 94C division of the sixth polytene chromosome. The size of the Cchsp83 mRNA was found to be approximately 2.7 kb. The predicted molecular mass of the CcHSP83 protein was 81.4 kDa, while the apparent molecular weight estimated by SDS-PAGE was approximately 90 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis based on 14 insect HSP90 amino acid sequences was consistent with the known phylogeny at low taxonomic level. The Cchsp83 gene is constitutively expressed in all stages of medfly development and is induced from a low level to several-fold by heat, depending on the developmental stage. Heat shock induction begins at 30 degrees C, reaching a maximum between 35 and 41 degrees C. Cchsp83 RNA expression is highly regulated during embryonic development; however, the temporal fluctuations in RNA levels during embryogenesis were not followed by similar fluctuations in the levels of the protein.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Cc RNase: the Ceratitis capitata ortholog of a novel highly conserved protein family in metazoans.

Complementary DNA encoding a protein, designated Cc RNase, was isolated from the insect Ceratitis capitata. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis demonstrates that the Cc RNase has strong sequence homology with other uncharacterized proteins predicted from EST sequences belonging to different animal species, therefore defining a new protein family, which is conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. Phylogenetic analysis data in addition to extensive homolog searches in all available complete genomes suggested that all family members are true orthologs. Proteins belonging to this family are composed of 95-101 amino acids. The C.capitata orthologous protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. Despite the fact that the amino acid sequence of Cc RNase does not share any significant similarities with other known ribonucleases, our data give strong evidence in support of the assignment of enzymatic activity to the recombinant protein. The expressed molecule exhibits ribonucleolytic activity against poly(C) and poly(U) synthetic substrates, as well as rRNA. It is also demonstrated that expression of Cc RNase in E.coli inhibits growth of the host cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Male biased sex ratio in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata, an example of Y-chromosome meiotic drive.

A case of Y-chromosome meiotic drive is reported in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. It arose in an irradiated male and results in excess of males. Male excess is inherited strictly from father to son. A Y-linked factor MP (male producer) is proposed. Higher drive can be selected, but distortion declines rapidly in the absence of selection. Hybrid males from crosses between driving males and nondriving females also show drive but to a reduced extent, suggesting the action of suppressors. Sex ratio distortion is independent of postzygotic mortality, and is not associated with an obvious chromosome arrangement. Spermiogenesis in driving males is characterised by abnormalities in sperm tails and reduced numbers in some sperm cysts, whereas neighbouring cysts of the same MP testis are essentially wild type. The average number of missing sperms plus deformed sperms approximates to the average depression in female recovery among the progenies of siblings, suggesting that most of the missing or abnormal sperms would have given rise to females, that is, they would have been X-bearing. To explain the heterogeneity between neighbouring cysts, a theory is proposed that links it to variation in X-chromosome sensitivity to MP, arising by random suppression of the genetic basis of sensitivity during the six mitotic divisions in the origin of the cyst from its stem cell before meiosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Opa-like repeats in the genome of the Medfly Ceratitis capitata.

The sequence determination of several genomic clones isolated from the Mediterranean fruitfly Ceratitis capitata identified the existence of opa-like repeats, often more than one being clustered in small chromosomal segments. These repeats have previously been shown to consist of stretches of tandemly reiterated glutamine-encoding residues, and they are found in multiple genes of several organisms. Most of the repeats described here are flanked or interrupted by stop codons in all reading frames and, thus, could not possibly be part of protein-coding sequences. Furthermore, these repeats, of which there are several hundred in the genome of the Medfly, can be used effectively for the determination of sequence polymorphisms, providing a convenient approach to obtain additional landmarks for the construction of genomic maps of this economically important insect.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2007

Stage-specific regulation of programmed cell death during oogenesis of the medfly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae).

In the present study, we describe novel features of programmed cell death in developing egg chambers occurring during mid- and late-oogenesis of the medfly Ceratitis capitata. During mid-oogenesis, the spontaneously degenerated egg chambers exhibit typical characteristics of apoptotic cell death. Their nurse cells contain fragmented DNA and fragmented actin, as revealed by TUNEL assay and immunolabelling, respectively. In vitro caspase activity assays and immunostaining procedures demonstrated that the atretic egg chambers acquired high levels of caspase activity. Distinct features of autophagic cell death were also observed during C. capitata mid-oogenesis, as revealed by the monodansylcadaverine staining approach and ultrastructural examination performed by transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, atretic egg chambers exhibit an upregulation of lysosomal proteases, as demonstrated by a procathepsin L immunolabelling procedure. At the late stages of C. capitata oogenesis, apoptosis and autophagy coexist, manifesting cell death features that are similar to the ones mentioned above, being also chaperoned by the involvement of an altered cytochrome c conformational display. We propose that apoptosis and autophagy operate synergistically during C. capitata oogenesis for a more efficient elimination of the degenerated nurse cells and abnormal egg chambers.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Age-specific and lifetime behavior patterns in Drosophila melanogaster and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

Patterns of behavior were recorded every 10 min during a 2-h period each day from eclosion to death for individual Drosophila melanogaster (both sexes) and Ceratitis capitata (males-only) including walking, preening, feeding, flying, and resting for the former species, and walking, calling (signaling), supine (upside-down), and resting in the latter. Results reveal that, with the exception of preening in D. melanogaster, behavioral patterns are age-specific and the frequency of several behaviors (e.g. supine in medfly; walking and resting in D. melanogaster) are correlated with time-to-death. This is the first set of studies to report the age patterns over a range of behavioral categories throughout the lives of individuals and thus the first that systematically documents the behavior of individuals at advanced ages. We suggest that the new and unique behaviors (e.g. supine) that emerge from the aging process be referred to as degenerative behaviors, not only to distinguish them from the conventional behavioral classifications (innate, learned), but also to reflect their emergent nature.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Sexual selection on multivariate phenotype in wild and mass-reared Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Males with a larger thorax and narrower face were found to be favoured by directional sexual selection in a previous field cage experiment where Ceratitis capitata males from the Seib 6-96 genetic sexing strain competed with wild males from Alto Valle (Patagonia) for the possession of wild females. Targets of sexual selection, however, might differ between wild and laboratory females as a response to adaptation to mass-rearing conditions. To evaluate possible divergences on the targets of sexual selection as a by-product of adaptation to mass-rearing conditions, field cage tests were performed with both wild and laboratory females. To avoid possible bias due to correlation among the measured traits (eye length [EL], face width [FW], head width [HW], and thorax length [TL]), a multivariate analysis was applied. Consistent with the previous experiment, the results indicated that TL and FW are probable targets of directional sexual selection independently of female strain. However, laboratory females were less selective than wild ones. Additionally, correlational sexual selection was detected acting on the multivariate phenotype. The effects of correlational selection overlap with those of directional selection on each single trait. The analysis of mating pair characteristics showed patterns that do not match the expectations for a random mating system. The current analysis indicates that during mating pair formation two processes overlap. On the one hand, sexual selection favours males with larger size (TL) and narrower faces (FW). This effect occurs in both wild and laboratory females. In addition, assortative mating based on both phenotype and origin was also observed.

Animals↗