PhD project of Michael Schwabe: The transcriptome of Tineola bisselliella

Keratin is a structural fibrous protein and is the main building block in hair, wool, feathers, horn, and nails. In slaughterhouses and poultry farms, large amounts of keratin-containing waste are generated every year, e.g. in the form of feathers. Keratin is very resistant to physical influences and chemical and biological agents. As a result, it is often buried or burned in landfills. Nevertheless, keratin-containing waste does not accumulate in nature.

Only few microorganisms can break down keratin, and even fewer higher eukaryotes have this ability. One of them is Tineola bisselliella - the common or webbing clothes moth. The mechanism of keratin digestion in beetles, moths and microorganisms is different from one another and the keratin degrading mechanism in the larvae has not yet been fully described. Therefore, we compare the transcriptomic shift in the intestine of T. bisselliella larvae fed with feathers (keratin-rich) and insect carcasses (keratin-free). We search for known and new enzymes that are believed to be part of the keratin degrading system. Our data include potential symbiotic transcripts as well as host transcripts.

The project is initiated and financed by the Fraunhofer IME in Giessen.