Glossina morsitans morsitans

Male and female tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are vectors of trypanosomes (e.g T. brucei gambiense and T. brucei brucei) that cause Sleeping Sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) and nagana. It is conservatively estimated by the World Health Organization that there are currently between 300,000 and 500,000 cases of African sleeping sickness, with 60 million people at risk in 37 countries covering 40% of Africa.

Data Downloads

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has undertaken whole genome shotgun sequencing as part of the International Glossina Genomics Initiative (IGGI). Other activities by IGGI members include extensive BAC end sequencing (RIKEN), and ESTs and full length cDNA sequencing (Genoscope and RIKEN). WHO/TDR convened the first meeting of the International Glossina Genomics Initiative (IGGI) in 2004. The genome DNA for library construction, has been provided by the Professors Michael Lehane (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) and Serap Aksoy (Yale School of Public Health). Small insert libraries for whole genome shotgun sequencing, made from a single endosymbiont-free tsetse fly (from the Aksoy lab) are currently being tested.

Bibliography

Adult midgut expressed sequence tags from the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans morsitans and expression analysis of putative immune response genes.

Lehane MJ, Aksoy S, Gibson W, Kerhornou A, Berriman M, Hamilton J, Soares MB, Bonaldo MF, Lehane S and Hall N

Genome biology 2003;4;10;R63

PUBMED: 14519198; PMC: 328452; DOI: 10.1186/gb-2003-4-10-r63

Data Use Statement

This sequencing centre plans on publishing the completed and annotated sequences in a peer-reviewed journal as soon as possible. Permission of the principal investigator should be obtained before publishing analyses of the sequence/open reading frames/genes on a chromosome or genome scale. See our data sharing policy.

Sequencing enquiries

Please address all sequencing enquiries to: pathinfo@sanger.ac.uk