Education

Interests

My primary scientific interests relate to characterizing biochemical and physiological adaptations in insects that drive evolutionary divergence, particularly those with "real-world" significance in pest management. Insect toxicology represents the perfect platform for investigating such evolutionary divergence, especially the topic of insecticide resistance. Other parallel interests of mine relate to improving our understanding of long-standing mysteries in insect physiology and biochemistry, such as termite caste differentiation, termite lignocellulose digestion/ assimilation, and insect flavin-containing monooxygenase diversity and function.

Research Program

The overall goal of my research program is to integrate classical toxicology with molecular biology, genomics, biochemistry and physiology to address topics with real-world implications in applied pest management. Currently funded research programs encompass four diverse areas:

• Toxicity, mode of action and metabolism of low-molecular-weight insecticides from the heterobicyclic and aliphatic ester classes.
• Insecticide resistance evolution, monitoring and mechanisms in the German cockroach.
• Characterization of semiochemicals involved in termite caste differentiation, as well as their influences on caste regulatory genes and developmental gene networks.
• Genomics-based identification and functional characterization of genes involved in lignocellulose digestion and assimilation from the termite gut, as well as termite symbiotic gut flora.

Laboratory Personnel

• Research Associates

• Dr. Xuguo Zhou
• Dr. Cheol Song
• Dr. Aurélien Tartar

• Technicians

• Sam Nguyen

• Graduate Students (* = current)

• Matthew Tarver* (Major Professor: M.E. Scharf)
• Ameya Gondhalekar* (Major Professor: M.E. Scharf)
• Marsha Wheeler* (Major Professor: F.M. Oi)

• Visiting Students

• Laurianne Leniaud (University of Tours, France) - February 2008
• Margaret Schwinghammer (Ph.D. student, Purdue University) - March-Aug 2006, March-April 2007
• Jody Green (Ph.D. student, Purdue University) - July 2007

• Undergraduate Interns (* = current)

• Indya Carroll*
• Matt Carroll*
• Caitlin Buckspan
• Swapna Srinivasan
• Traci Grzymala

Courses Taught

• ENY 6651 (Insect Toxicology) Lecture Syllabus | Laboratory Syllabus
• ENY 4905 (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Syllabus | Student-Instructor Agreement
• ENY 6934 (Pesticide Resistance Seminar) Syllabus

Representative Publications

• Nguyen, S. N., C. Song, et al. (2007). "Toxicity, synergism, and neurological effects of novel volatile insecticides in insecticide-susceptible and -resistant Drosophila strains." J Econ Entomol 100(2): 534-44.
• Pedra, J. H., L. M. McIntyre, et al. (2004). "Genome-wide transcription profile of field- and laboratory-selected dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)-resistant Drosophila." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101(18): 7034-9.
• Scharf, M. E., S. N. Nguyen, et al. (2006). "Evaluation of volatile low molecular weight insecticides using Drosophila melanogaster as a model." Pest Manag Sci 62(7): 655-63.
• Scharf, M. E., C. R. Ratliff, et al. (2005). "Effects of juvenile hormone III on Reticulitermes flavipes: changes in hemolymph protein composition and gene expression." Insect Biochem Mol Biol 35(3): 207-15.
• Scharf, M. E., D. Wu-Scharf, et al. (2005). "Gene expression profiles among immature and adult reproductive castes of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes." Insect Mol Biol 14(1): 31-44.
• Wang, C., M. E. Scharf, et al. (2006). "Genetic basis for resistance to gel baits, fipronil, and sugar-based attractants in German cockroaches (Dictyoptera: blattellidae)." J Econ Entomol 99(5): 1761-7.
• Zhou, X., F. M. Oi, et al. (2006). "Social exploitation of hexamerin: RNAi reveals a major caste-regulatory factor in termites." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(12): 4499-504.
• Zhou, X., J. A. Smith, et al. (2007). "Correlation of cellulase gene expression and cellulolytic activity throughout the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes." Gene 395(1-2): 29-39.
• Zhou, X., C. Song, et al. (2006). "Juvenile hormone and colony conditions differentially influence cytochrome P450 gene expression in the termite Reticulitermes flavipes." Insect Mol Biol 15(6): 749-61.
• Zhou, X., M. R. Tarver, et al. (2006). "Two hexamerin genes from the termite Reticulitermes flavipes: Sequence, expression, and proposed functions in caste regulation." Gene 376(1): 47-58.
• Zhou, X., M. R. Tarver, et al. (2007). "Hexamerin-based regulation of juvenile hormone-dependent gene expression underlies phenotypic plasticity in a social insect." Development 134(3): 601-10.
• Scharf, M. E., D. W. Scharf, et al. (2004). "Catalytic activity and expression of two flavin-containing monooxygenases from Drosophila melanogaster." Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 57(1): 28-39.