RESEARCH INTERESTS: Genetic transformation systems have been developed for an increasing number of non-drosophilid insects. The ability to genetically transform an insect species enables the use of a vast array of techniques to result in the identification and characterization of novel genes, promoters and enhancer sequences. This will greatly enhance the understanding of the basic biology of a given species.

Transformation systems also allow the genetic manipulation and modification of pest and vector species. This will result in the development and improvement of marked genetic sexing strains for use in Sterile Insect Release programs. It is also possible to develop strains of vector species that can no longer transmit a particular virus or parasite, thus providing an alternative method of control. Research in our lab is aimed at improving the genetic transformation system for the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Specific projects involve the use of enhancer elements to increase transgene expression levels and the use of boundary elements to insulate the transgenes from position effects. Efforts are ongoing to develop transformation systems for other important insect species. These studies involve the testing of transposable element activity, as well as efforts to develop site-specific integration systems.

TEACHING ACTIVITIES I teach an undergraduate course in Biotechnology and Society (ENTO 315) and a graduate course in Arthropod Genomes and Gene Expression (ENTO 628). I currently supervise 2 Ph.D. candidates and co-supervise 2 M.S. candidates. I also supervise a number of undergraduate student researchers each semester.

FEDERAL GRANTS Principal Investigator. NIH/NIAID 2000-2005. Enhancers and Boundary Elements for Mosquito Transgenesis

Co-Principal Investigator. NIH/NIAID 2000-2005. Mariner Mobility in the Mosquito Genome

Co-Investigator. UCI Subcontract 2005-2009. Genetic Strategies for Control of Dengue Virus Transmission

STATE GRANTS Co-Principal Investigator. Red Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan. 2001-2007. Use of genetically modified bacteria to deliver compounds that reduce fire ant fitness.

PUBLICATIONS

Invited Publications:

Coates, C.J. (2000) Malaria. A mosquito transformed. Nature. 405: 900-901.

Tu, Z. & Coates, C.J. (2004) Mosquito Transposable Elements. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 34:631-44.

Coates, C.J. (2005) Stable Transformation of Vector Species. In: Biology of Disease Vectors, 2nd Edition. Elsevier, Burlington, MA.

Coates, C.J. (2005) Transposon Mediated Transgenesis of Mosquitoes. In: Mobile Genetic Elements in Metazoan Parasites. Ed: P. Brindley. Eurekah Press/Landesbioscience, Georgetown, TX. Chapter can be viewed online at http://www.eurekah.com/abstract.php?chapid=2518&bookid=172&catid=21

Coates, C.J. (2005) Genetic Engineering of Insects: Current and Future Applications. In: Entomology at the Land Grant University, Texas A&M University Press.

Publications:

Tenorio, F. M., J. K. Olson, and C. J. Coates.* 2003. Decomposition studies, with a catalog and descriptions of forensically important blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in central Texas. Southwestern Entomologist. 28: 37-45.

Tenorio, F. M., J. K. Olson, and C. J. Coates.* 2003. DNA Identification of Four Forensically Important Blow Fly (Diptera:Calliphoridae) Species in Central Texas using Mitochondrial DNA. Southwestern Entomologist. 28: 267-272.

Jasinskiene, N., C.J. Coates, A. Ashikyan and A.A. James 2003. High efficiency, site-specific excision of a marker gene by the phage P1 cre-loxP system in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Nucleic Acids Res. 31: e147.

O’Brochta, D.A., N. Sethuraman, R. Wilson, R.H. Hice, A.C. Pinkerton, C.S. Levasque, D.K. Bideshi, N. Jaskinskiene, C.J. Coates, A. A. James, M.J. Lehane and P.W. Atkinson 2003. Gene vector and transposable element behavior in mosquitoes. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206: 3823-3834.

Cônsoli, F.L., Tian, H., Vinson, S.B. and Coates, C.J.* (2004) Differential gene expression during wing morph differentiation of the ectoparasitoid Melittobia digitata (Hym., Eulophidae). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A. Mol. Integr. Physiol. 138: 229-39.

Tian, H., Vinson, S.B., and Coates, C.J.* (2004) Differential gene expression between alate and dealate queens in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 34: 937-49.

Pledger, D.W., Fu, Y.Q. and Coates, C.J.* (2004) Analyses of cis-acting elements that affect the transposition of MosI mariner transposons in vivo. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 272: 67-75

Gray, C. and Coates, C.J.* (2004) High-level gene expression in Aedes albopictus cells using a baculovirus Hr3 enhancer and IE1 transactivator. BioMed Central 5: 8.

Mohammed, A. and Coates, C.J. (2004) Promoter and piggyBac activities within embryos of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Gene, 342: 293-301.

Chowdhury, M.H., Julian, A.M., Coates, C.J. and Cote, G.L. (2004) Detection of differences in oligonucleotide influenced aggregation of colloidal gold nanoparticles using absorption spectroscopy. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 9: 1347-1357.

Adelman, Z.N., Jasinskiene, N., Vally, K.J.M., Peek, P., Travanty, E.A., Olson, K.E., Brown, S.E., Stephens, J.L., Knudson, D.L., Coates, C.J. and James, A.A. (2004) Formation and loss of large, unstable tandem arrays of the piggyBac transposable element in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Transgenic Research 13:411-25.

Gray, C.E. & Coates, C.J. (2005) Cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding putative CTCFs in the mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. BMC Molecular Biology 6:16

Pledger, D.W. & Coates, C.J. (2005) Mutant MosI mariner transposons are hyperactive in Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol.,35:1199-207

Li, H., Medina, F., Vinson, S.B. & Coates, C.J. (2005) Isolation, Characterization and Molecular Identification of Bacteria from the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) Midgut. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 89:203-9

Kolb, A.F., Coates, C.J., Kaminski, J.M., Summers, J.B., Miller, A.D. & Segal, D.J. (2005) Site-directed genome modification: nucleic acid and protein modules for targeted integration and gene correction. Trends in Biotechnology 23:399-406

Coates, C.J., Kaminski, J.M., Summers, J.B, Segal, D.J., Miller, A.D., & Kolb, A.F. (2005) Site-directed genome modification: derivatives of DNA modifying enzymes as targeting tools. Trends in Biotechnology 23:407-19

Li, H., Medina, F., Vinson, S.B. & Coates, C.J. (in press) Genetic Transformation of Midgut Bacteria from the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta). Current Microbiology.

Wu, S.C., Meir, Y.J., Coates, C.J., Handler, A.M., Pelczar, P., Moisyadi, S. & Kaminski, J.M. (2006) piggyBac is a flexible and highly active transposon as compared to Sleeping Beauty, Tol2, and Mos1 in mammalian cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2006 103:15008-13.

Maragathavally, K.J., Kaminski, J.M., Coates, C.J. (2006) Chimeric Mos1 and piggyBac transposases result in site-directed integration. FASEB J. 20:1880-2.