The Gene Is Involved in the Presence of Wings and Explorative Behaviours in Parthenogenetic Females of the Aphid .

The gene () encodes for a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase involved in behavioural plasticity in aphids and in other insects. In this paper, we analysed the complete sequence in eight clones of the peach potato aphid reporting the presence of nonsense and frameshift mutations in three studied clones characterized by a reduced number of winged females and by the absence of exploratory behaviours. Quantitative PCR experiments evidenced similar results in clones possessing genes with a conserved coding sequence, but low expression levels.

Transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis unmasks recessive insecticide resistance in the aphid .

The evolution of resistance to insecticides threatens the sustainable control of many of the world's most damaging insect crop pests and disease vectors. To effectively combat resistance, it is important to understand its underlying genetic architecture, including the type and number of genetic variants affecting resistance and their interactions with each other and the environment. While significant progress has been made in characterizing the individual genes or mutations leading to resistance, our understanding of how genetic variants interact to influence its phenotypic expression remains poor.

Holocentric chromosomes.

Holocentric chromosomes possess multiple kinetochores along their length rather than the single centromere typical of other chromosomes [1]. They have been described for the first time in cytogenetic experiments dating from 1935 and, since this first observation, the term holocentric chromosome has referred to chromosomes that: i. lack the primary constriction corresponding to centromere observed in monocentric chromosomes [2]; ii.

Evolutionary insights into the aphid genome: Aphid genomics between quality problems and intriguing perspectives.

In the last decade the genomes of several aphid species have been sequenced allowing a better understanding of their biology and evolution. Unfortunately, as frequently occurs with the next generation sequencing technologies, several aphid genomes consist in fragmented assemblies that contain thousands of genomic scaffolds of reduced length. In order to improve the quality of the published genomic data, several research groups are currently resequencing aphid DNA making possible to take the full advantage of genomics to face complex biological problems, such as aphid diversification.

Comparative Analysis of - and -Specific Genomic Variability in the Peach Potato Aphid, .

The availability of genomic data in the last decade relating to different aphid species has allowed the analysis of the genomic variability occurring among such species, whereas -specific variability has hitherto very largely been neglected. In order to analyse the -genomic variability in the peach potato aphid, , comparative analyses were performed revealing several clone-specific gene duplications, together with numerous deletions/rearrangements. Our comparative approach also allowed us to evaluate the synteny existing between the two clones tested and between the peach potato aphid and the pea aphid, .