Mr Misha Mangila1, Dr Peter Crisp1, Dr Lyn Cook1

1The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Australia

Biography:

Misha Mangila is a current PhD student at the University of Queensland. His current project is looking at plant gall development caused by the scale insect genus Apiomorpha.

Abstract:

The Australian scale insect genus Apiomorpha is able to manipulate plant development, creating novel plant organs called galls. However, we still do not know how Apiomorpha induces galls. One possible way is through changes in DNA methylation, which can affect the regulation of genes. To determine whether changes in DNA methylation are associated with gall development, we profiled DNA methylation in tissues of galls of males and the surrounding leaf tissue. We found an increase in DNA methylation in many regions of the genome in gall tissues when compared to surrounding ungalled leaf tissues. Understanding the consequences of these changes could shed light on the regulation of gall development.