Research Project:
Use of transcriptome to study the effects of antibiotics on the development of the leafhopper, Anaceratagallia ribauti (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

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Pesticide and antibiotic spillovers are a major source of drug-resistant strains of bacteria and cause damage to the environment. To reduce their impact, we need to understand the mechanisms through which these chemicals influence organisms in nature. Insects have been used as bell weather species to detect environmental pollution because use of vertebrates poses greater ethical constraints. However, designing more precise and eco-friendly tools in this regard requires a deeper understanding of the molecular response of the organism to antibiotics or pesticides. In the leafhoppers, it has previously been shown that application of antibiotics results in severe developmental defects in the embryos putatively because of removal of obligate endosymbionts vital for their survival and development. Technological advancements have made it possible to determine exact molecular changes that underlie the effects observed in organisms post treatments. Here we propose to use the leafhoppers, which are a known pest in crops, as a system to study the impact of antibiotic spillovers on biology of organisms. These studies will help find targets for pest management as well as precise and eco-friendly ways for detection of environmental damage due to overuse of antibiotics.

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