TC008204

In Drosophila, the loss-of-function phenotype of DAT was a much darker pupal case coloring, but without significant changes in adult pigmentation. Our Tribolium RNAi results were just the oppose: no significant changes in pupae but RNAi adults displayed much darker eye-pigmentation. The different results between Drosophila and Tribolium pupae could be attributed to the differences in their pupal development. In Tribolium, the pupal case is newly secreted during pupation while its larval case is shed; but In Drosophila, the larval case hardens during pupation and becomes the pupal case. It’s possible that DAT plays a role in the pigment regulation of the larval case, in which its knockdown has no effect on Tribolium pupae. It is unclear at this time as to why RNAi had no effect on Drosophila adult pigmentation but lead to significantly darker eyes in Tribolium. Future research could focus on elucidating the differences between Drosophila and Tribolium adult pigmentation pathway during development, in order to pinpoint the reason for the differences in results. Overall, DAT in Drosophila and Tribolium are conserved such that it plays a role in down-regulating the brown pigment in both species. However, its role in insect development, in terms of regulation and expression, is diverged.