Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Rafıqı A. M., Polo P. G.(Yürütücü)
Yükseköğretim Kurumları Destekli Proje, BAP Araştırma Projesi, 2019 - 2021
Antibiotics are substances commonly used
against bacterial infections. There is increasing concern about the effects of
antibiotics on the environment. The development of antibiotic-resistant strains
of bacteria can disturb bacterial ecosystems and lead to serious health threats
to humans. Moreover, the loss or imbalance of microbiota, called dysbiosis,
causes several disorders in humans. Although a lot is known about the mode of
action of antibiotics and their effect on population growth of the microbes within
the organisms and within the environment, the effect of endosymbiont-loss on
the developmental and organismal processes remain largely unknown. To address
this we propose to study the insects of the family of Cicadellidae, commonly
called leafhoppers. These
insects associate with two types of obligate bacterial endosymbionts. Previous
studies have shown that loss of endosymbionts in leafhoppers causes
patterning defects leading to posterior truncation of the embryo. We hypothesize that the endosymbionts
in these insects interact with genes that have a role in development so that eggs from leafhoppers treated with
antibiotics cannot develop properly. To test this hypothesis we aim to
measure the
effect of loss of endosymbionts on the expression of developmental genes that
are involved in posterior formation. The research will help us to understand
the effect of dysbiosis on gene regulatory network in Cicadellidae and offers new possiblitities to understand similar
conditions in
humans. Because antibiotics pose a major threat to the environment, this
project has implications on environmental conservation and in search for eco-friendly pest and
infectious disease vector management strategies.