Research and Publications
Most relevant research/work - Selected publications
Research Topic 1: Establishment of new species for the study of Evo-Devo in Brazil
Most studies of developmental biology and genetics in insects have been performed in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera). In the past years we have established alternative model systems in the laboratory such as the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus, the tick Rhipicephalus microplus and the mosquito Aedes aegypti to study the interplay between development, morphogenesis and gene function using a comparative approach.
- Guimarães, Ruan, et al. “A laboratory system for rearing Simuliidae (Diptera) under simulated lotic environments.” PeerJ 14 (2026): e21193.
- Coutinho-dos-Santos, Renata, et al. “Analysis of gene expression in Aedes aegypti suggests changes in early genetic control of mosquito development.” JEZ-B molecular and developmental evolution (2025): 2025-07.
- Schwenck, Lucas da Costa, Paula Alvarez Abreu, and Rodrigo Nunes-da-Fonseca. “Spider’s Silk as a Potential Source of Antibiotics: An Integrative Review.” Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins 16.5 (2024): 1608-1622.
- Embryonic Development of the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus V Tobias-Santos, A Pane, M Berni, HM Araujo, R Nunes-da-Fonseca Triatominae-The Biology of Chagas Disease Vectors, 101-121.
- Rhodnius prolixus: From classical physiology to modern developmental biology R Nunes-da-Fonseca, M Berni, V Tobias-Santos, A Pane, HM Araujo Genesis 55 (5), e22995, 2017.
- The embryogenesis of the Tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus: The establishment of a new chelicerate model systemVT Santos, L Ribeiro, A Fraga, CM de Barros, E Campos, J Moraes, R Nunes-da-Fonseca genesis 51 (12) , 803-81.
Research Topic 2: Maternal-zygotic transition and axis formation
During the early stages of development messenger RNAs from the mother are replaced by those from the zygote via a global zygotic genome activation (ZGA). This initial process comprises the phenomenon of maternal-zygotic transition (MZT) and precedes axes establishment (anteroposterior and dorsoventral) and germ layers are also established.
- Coutinho-dos-Santos, Renata, et al. “Analysis of gene expression in Aedes aegypti suggests changes in early genetic control of mosquito development.” bioRxiv (2025): 2025-07.
- Berni, M., et al. “A pro-BMP function exerted by Rhodnius prolixus short gastrulation reveals great diversity in the role of BMP modulators during embryonic patterning.” Open Biology 13.7 (2023): 230023.
- Editorial overview: Development and regulation: Lessons from a multispecies approach R Nunes-da-Fonseca CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 51 2022.
- Maternal or zygotic: Unveiling the secrets of the Pancrustacea transcription factor zelda. R Nunes da Fonseca, TM Venancio PLoS Genetics 14 (3), e1007201, 2018.
- Evolution and multiple roles of the Pancrustacea specific transcription factor zelda in insects L Ribeiro, V Tobias-Santos, D Santos, F Antunes, G Feltran, Nunes-da-Fonseca PLoS Genetics 13 (7), e1006868, 2017.
Research Topic 3: Genes Encoding Small Open Reading Frames - SmORFs
Small open reading frames (smORFs) are short coding sequences often overlooked in genome annotations. Recent studies show that smORFs encode functional peptides essential for key biological processes, such as molting, digestive physiology, and embryogenesis in insects like Rhodnius prolixus. Their discovery is reshaping our understanding of genome complexity, gene regulation, and molecular evolution.
- Guerra-Almeida D, Nery MF, Mucherino-Muñoz JJ, Pessoa-Costa E et al. The small ORFeome of Tribolium castaneum reveals deeply conserved small ORFs broadly expressed across development and tissues. bioRxiv, 2025
- SILVA, Carina Azevedo Oliveira et al. The mlpt smORF gene is essential for digestive physiology and molting during nymphal stages in the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , v. 172, p. 104154, 2024.
- Understanding small ORF diversity through a comprehensive transcription feature classificationD Guerra-Almeida, DA Tschoeke, R Nunes-da-Fonseca DNA Research 28 (5), dsab007 6 2021.
- Small open reading frames: how important are they for molecular evolution?D Guerra-Almeida, R Nunes-da-Fonseca Frontiers in Genetics 11, 574737 2020.
- Multiple Roles of the Polycistronic Gene Tarsal-less/Mille-Pattes/Polished-Rice During Embryogenesis of the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixusV Tobias-Santos, D Guerra-Almeida, F Mury, L Ribeiro, M Berni, H Araujo, R Nunes-da-Fonseca. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7, 379.
