The paper characterizes the transcriptomes of two Rhodnius prolixus embryo-derived cell lines, identifying shared and distinct gene expression patterns that suggest different cell phenotypes.

bioRxiv · May 12, 2026 · PreprintGenetics

m6A RNA methylation modulates Zika virus infection by regulating serine proteases in Aedes albopictus

Anderson de Mendonça Amarante, Lucas Tirloni, Jonas Koch, Felix Bormann, Serena Rosignoli, Alessandro Paiardini, Dante Rotili, Tarcísio Fontenele de Brito, Laura de Andrade Tavares, Juan Diego de Paula Li Yasumura, Vitor Coutinho Carneiro, Laura B Menendez Kury, Attilio Pane, Frank Lyko, Marcelo Rosado Fantappíé

This study identifies m6A RNA methylation as an antiviral mechanism in mosquito cells by regulating serine proteases that influence Zika virus replication.

bioRxiv · Mar 18, 2026 · PreprintMolecular Biology

Embryonic piRNAs target horizontally transferred vertebrate transposons in assassin bugs

Tarcísio Fontenele de Brito, Maira Arruda Cardoso, Nazerke Atinbayeva, Ingrid Alexandre de Abreu Brito, Lucas Amaro da Costa, Nicola Iovino, Attilio Pane

The paper shows that piRNAs in assassin bugs target horizontally transferred vertebrate transposons during embryogenesis, using a non-canonical mechanism distinct from typical ping-pong amplification.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · Nov 20, 2024Peer-reviewedGenomics

Analysis of ovarian transcriptomes reveals thousands of novel genes in the insect vector Rhodnius prolixus

Vitor Lima Coelho, Tarcísio Fontenele de Brito, Ingrid Alexandre de Abreu Brito, Maira Arruda Cardoso, Mateus Antonio Berni, Helena Marcolla Araujo, Michael Sammeth, Attilio Pane

The paper improves the genome and transcriptome of Rhodnius prolixus by identifying over 2,000 novel genes and analyzing stage-specific gene expression during oogenesis.

Scientific Reports · Jan 21, 2021Peer-reviewedBioinformatics