ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2014
An insight into the transcriptome of the digestive tract of the bloodsucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 89 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
89 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 213 citations in OpenAlex.
- Expression of Proteins, Glycoproteins, and Transcripts in the Guts of Fasting, Fed, andPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- Loss of vitellogenin receptor function results in yolk depletion, virome expansion, and reduced bacterial load within the oocytes of Rhodnius prolixus.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Food Deprivation inPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dietary Lipids and Their Metabolism in the Midgut.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Lipid Metabolism in Insect Vectors of Diseases.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Lectin Recognition Patterns in the Gut ofMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Omics Tools Applied to the Study of Chagas Disease Vectors: Proteomics and Metabolomics.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Review
- Refining the annotation ofCurrent research in parasitology & vector-borne diseases · 2025Article
- Interaction ofMicroorganisms · 2024Review
- Activation of immune pathways in common bed bugs,Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Immune signaling pathways inFrontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- α-Glucosidase isoform G contributes to heme detoxification inCurrent research in insect science · 2024Article
- The antennal transcriptome analysis and characterizations of odorant-binding proteins in Megachile saussurei (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae).BMC genomics · 2023Article
- Functional characterization of maternally accumulated hydrolases in the mature oocytes of the vectorFrontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Global characterization of gene expression in the brain of starved immature Rhodnius prolixus.PloS one · 2023Article
- Digestive α-L-fucosidase activity inFrontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Functional Role ofInsects · 2022Article
- Key Residues Affecting Binding Affinity ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- A fat body transcriptome analysis of the immune responses of Rhodnius prolixus to artificial infections with bacteria.Parasites & vectors · 2022Article
- The protective effect of manganese superoxide dismutase from thermophilic bacterium HB27 on hydrochloric acid-induced chemical cystitis in rats.International urology and nephrology · 2022Article
29 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
46 authors at 11 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The bloodsucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is a vector of Chagas' disease, which affects 7-8 million people today in Latin America. In contrast to other hematophagous insects, the triatomine gut is compartmentalized into three segments that perform different functions during blood digestion. Here we report analysis of transcriptomes for each of the segments using pyrosequencing technology. Comparison of transcript frequency in digestive libraries with a whole-body library was used to evaluate expression levels. All classes of digestive enzymes were highly expressed, with a predominance of cysteine and aspartic proteinases, the latter showing a significant expansion through gene duplication. Although no protein digestion is known to occur in the anterior midgut (AM), protease transcripts were found, suggesting secretion as pro-enzymes, being possibly activated in the posterior midgut (PM). As expected, genes related to cytoskeleton, protein synthesis apparatus, protein traffic, and secretion were abundantly transcribed. Despite the absence of a chitinous peritrophic membrane in hemipterans - which have instead a lipidic perimicrovillar membrane lining over midgut epithelia - several gut-specific peritrophin transcripts were found, suggesting that these proteins perform functions other than being a structural component of the peritrophic membrane. Among immunity-related transcripts, while lysozymes and lectins were the most highly expressed, several genes belonging to the Toll pathway - found at low levels in the gut of most insects - were identified, contrasting with a low abundance of transcripts from IMD and STAT pathways. Analysis of transcripts related to lipid metabolism indicates that lipids play multiple roles, being a major energy source, a substrate for perimicrovillar membrane formation, and a source for hydrocarbons possibly to produce the wax layer of the hindgut. Transcripts related to amino acid metabolism showed an unanticipated priority for degradation of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. Analysis of transcripts related to signaling pathways suggested a role for MAP kinases, GTPases, and LKBP1/AMP kinases related to control of cell shape and polarity, possibly in connection with regulation of cell survival, response of pathogens and nutrients. Together, our findings present a new view of the triatomine digestive apparatus and will help us understand trypanosome interaction and allow insights into hemipteran metabolic adaptations to a blood-based diet.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.