Preliminary transcriptome analysis and Homeobox gene isonlation for Tomocerus minor (Entomobryomorpha: Tomoceridae)

Collembola, or “springtails,” are small, edaphic arthropods classified as Entognatha; a group traditionally included as part of Hexapoda and sister-group to the true insects. However, some genetic studies suggest that they may instead have derived from a separate crustacean lineage rather than from a proto-Insecta lineage. The unique abdominal structures that develop on the collembolan ventral abdomen appear to be appendicular in origin – atypical to the canonical, appendage-less insect abdomen ground plan. I developed culture and embryo fixation protocols for; and sequenced and analyzed a multi-stage embryo transcriptome for Tomocerus minor (Collembola: Entomobryomorpha). This analysis annotated 14,417 distinct genes, identified all eight Hox genes, and several other genes that play a role in appendage and abdominal development during embryogenesis. I designed primers for eight target genes (Antp, Ubx, abdA, AbdB, Cad, en, inv, Dll) and successfully amplified portions of these genes, producing PCR products at predicted lengths