@article{li_yamamoto_belikoff_berger_griffith_scott_2021, title={A conditional female lethal system for genetic suppression of the global fruit crop pest <scp><i>Drosophila suzukii}, volume={77}, ISSN={1526-498X 1526-4998}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ps.6530}, DOI={10.1002/ps.6530}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={11}, journal={Pest Management Science}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Li, Fang and Yamamoto, Akihiko and Belikoff, Esther J and Berger, Amy and Griffith, Emily H and Scott, Maxwell J}, year={2021}, month={Jul}, pages={4915–4922} }
 @article{paulo_williamson_arp_li_sagel_skoda_sanchez-gallego_vasquez_quintero_pérez de león_et al._2019, title={Specific Gene Disruption in the Major Livestock Pests<i>Cochliomyia hominivorax</i>and<i>Lucilia cuprina</i>Using CRISPR/Cas9}, volume={9}, ISSN={2160-1836}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400544}, DOI={10.1534/g3.119.400544}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={9}, journal={G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Paulo, Daniel F and Williamson, Megan E and Arp, Alex P and Li, Fang and Sagel, Agustin and Skoda, Steven R and Sanchez-Gallego, Joel and Vasquez, Mario and Quintero, Gladys and Pérez de León, Adalberto A and et al.}, year={2019}, month={Sep}, pages={3045–3055} }
 @article{concha_palavesam_guerrero_sagel_li_osborne_hernandez_pardo_quintero_vasquez_et al._2016, title={A transgenic male-only strain of the New World screwworm for an improved control program using the sterile insect technique}, volume={14}, journal={BMC Biology}, author={Concha, C. and Palavesam, A. and Guerrero, F. D. and Sagel, A. and Li, F. and Osborne, J. A. and Hernandez, Y. and Pardo, T. and Quintero, G. and Vasquez, M. and et al.}, year={2016} }
 @article{li_scott_2016, title={CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis of the white and Sex lethal loci in the invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii}, volume={469}, ISSN={0006-291X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.12.081}, DOI={10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.12.081}, abstractNote={Drosophila suzukii (commonly called spotted wing Drosophila) is an invasive pest of soft-skinned fruit (e.g. blueberries, strawberries). A high quality reference genome sequence is available but functional genomic tools, such as used in Drosophila melanogaster, remain to be developed. In this study we have used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to introduce site-specific mutations in the D. suzukii white (w) and Sex lethal (Sxl) genes. Hemizygous males with w mutations develop white eyes and the mutant genes are transmissible to the next generation. Somatic mosaic females that carry mutations in the Sxl gene develop abnormal genitalia and reproductive tissue. The D. suzukii Sxl gene could be an excellent target for a Cas9-mediated gene drive to suppress populations of this highly destructive pest.}, number={4}, journal={Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Li, Fang and Scott, Maxwell J.}, year={2016}, month={Jan}, pages={911–916} }
 @article{linger_belikoff_yan_li_wantuch_fitzsimons_scott_2016, title={Towards next generation maggot debridement therapy: transgenic Lucilia sericata larvae that produce and secrete a human growth factor}, volume={16}, ISSN={1472-6750}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12896-016-0263-z}, DOI={10.1186/s12896-016-0263-z}, abstractNote={Diabetes and its concurrent complications impact a significant proportion of the population of the US and create a large financial burden on the American health care system. FDA-approved maggot debridement therapy (MDT), the application of sterile laboratory-reared Lucilia sericata (green bottle fly) larvae to wounds, is a cost-effective and successful treatment for diabetic foot ulcers and other medical conditions. Human platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is a secreted dimeric peptide growth factor that binds the PDGF receptor. PDGF-BB stimulates cell proliferation and survival, promotes wound healing, and has been investigated as a possible topical treatment for non-healing wounds. Genetic engineering has allowed for expression and secretion of human growth factors and other proteins in transgenic insects. Here, we present a novel concept in MDT technology that combines the established benefits of MDT with the power of genetic engineering to promote healing. The focus of this study is to create and characterize strains of transgenic L. sericata that express and secrete PDGF-BB at detectable levels in adult hemolymph, whole larval lysate, and maggot excretions/ secretions (ES), with potential for clinical utility in wound healing. We have engineered and confirmed transgene insertion in several strains of L. sericata that express human PDGF-BB. Using a heat-inducible promoter to control the pdgf-b gene, pdgf-b mRNA was detected via semi-quantitative PCR upon heat shock. PDGF-BB protein was also detectable in larval lysates and adult hemolymph but not larval ES. An alternative, tetracycline-repressible pdgf-b system mediated expression of pdgf-b mRNA when maggots were raised on diet that lacked tetracycline. Further, PDGF-BB protein was readily detected in whole larval lysate as well as larval ES. Here we show robust, inducible expression and production of human PDGF-BB protein from two conditional expression systems in transgenic L. sericata larvae. The tetracycline-repressible system appears to be the most promising as PDGF-BB protein was detectable in larval ES following induction. Our system could potentially be used to deliver a variety of growth factors and anti-microbial peptides to the wound environment with the aim of enhancing wound healing, thereby improving patient outcome in a cost-effective manner.}, number={1}, journal={BMC Biotechnology}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Linger, Rebecca J. and Belikoff, Esther J. and Yan, Ying and Li, Fang and Wantuch, Holly A. and Fitzsimons, Helen L. and Scott, Maxwell J.}, year={2016}, month={Mar} }
 @article{edman_linger_belikoff_li_sze_tarone_scott_2014, title={Functional characterization of calliphorid cell death genes and cellularization gene promoters for controlling gene expression and cell viability in early embryos}, volume={24}, ISSN={0962-1075 1365-2583}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imb.12135}, DOI={10.1111/imb.12135}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={Insect Molecular Biology}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Edman, R. M. and Linger, R. J. and Belikoff, E. J. and Li, F. and Sze, S.‐H. and Tarone, A. M. and Scott, M. J.}, year={2014}, month={Sep}, pages={58–70} }
 @article{li_wantuch_linger_belikoff_scott_2014, title={Transgenic sexing system for genetic control of the Australian sheep blow fly Lucilia cuprina}, volume={51}, ISSN={0965-1748}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.06.001}, DOI={10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.06.001}, abstractNote={The New World screwworm and the Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina are devastating pests of livestock. The larvae of these species feed on the tissue of the living animal and can cause death if untreated. The sterile insect technique or SIT was used to eradicate screwworm from North and Central America. This inspired efforts to develop strains containing complex chromosomal rearrangements for genetic control of L. cuprina in Australia. Although one field trial was promising, the approach was abandoned due to costs and difficulties in mass rearing the strain. As the efficiency of SIT can be significantly increased if only sterile males are released, we have developed transgenic strains of L. cuprina that carry a dominant tetracycline repressible female lethal genetic system. Lethality is due to overexpression of an auto-regulated tetracycline repressible transactivator (tTA) gene and occurs mostly at the pupal stage. Dominant female lethality was achieved by replacing the Drosophila hsp70 core promoter with a Lucilia hsp70 core promoter-5'UTR for tTA overexpression. The strains carry a dominant strongly expressed marker that will facilitate identification in the field. Interestingly, the sexes could be reliably sorted by fluorescence or color from the early first instar larval stage as females that overexpress tTA also overexpress the linked marker gene. Male-only strains of L. cuprina developed in this study could form the basis for a future genetic control program. Moreover, the system developed for L. cuprina should be readily transferrable to other major calliphorid livestock pests including the New and Old World screwworm.}, journal={Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Li, Fang and Wantuch, Holly A. and Linger, Rebecca J. and Belikoff, Esther J. and Scott, Maxwell J.}, year={2014}, month={Aug}, pages={80–88} }
 @article{li_vensko_belikoff_scott_2013, title={Conservation and Sex-Specific Splicing of the transformer Gene in the Calliphorids Cochliomyia hominivorax, Cochliomyia macellaria and Lucilia sericata}, volume={8}, ISSN={1932-6203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056303}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0056303}, abstractNote={Transformer (TRA) promotes female development in several dipteran species including the Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina, the Mediterranean fruit fly, housefly and Drosophila melanogaster. tra transcripts are sex-specifically spliced such that only the female form encodes full length functional protein. The presence of six predicted TRA/TRA2 binding sites in the sex-specific female intron of the L. cuprina gene suggested that tra splicing is auto-regulated as in medfly and housefly. With the aim of identifying conserved motifs that may play a role in tra sex-specific splicing, here we have isolated and characterized the tra gene from three additional blowfly species, L. sericata, Cochliomyia hominivorax and C. macellaria. The blowfly adult male and female transcripts differ in the choice of splice donor site in the first intron, with males using a site downstream of the site used in females. The tra genes all contain a single TRA/TRA2 site in the male exon and a cluster of four to five sites in the male intron. However, overall the sex-specific intron sequences are poorly conserved in closely related blowflies. The most conserved regions are around the exon/intron junctions, the 3′ end of the intron and near the cluster of TRA/TRA2 sites. We propose a model for sex specific regulation of tra splicing that incorporates the conserved features identified in this study. In L. sericata embryos, the male tra transcript was first detected at around the time of cellular blastoderm formation. RNAi experiments showed that tra is required for female development in L. sericata and C. macellaria. The isolation of the tra gene from the New World screwworm fly C. hominivorax, a major livestock pest, will facilitate the development of a “male-only” strain for genetic control programs.}, number={2}, journal={PLoS ONE}, publisher={Public Library of Science (PLoS)}, author={Li, Fang and Vensko, Steven P. and Belikoff, Esther J. and Scott, Maxwell J.}, editor={Tear, GuyEditor}, year={2013}, month={Feb}, pages={e56303} }
 @article{sze_dunham_carey_chang_li_edman_fjeldsted_scott_nuzhdin_tarone_2012, title={A <i>de novo</i> transcriptome assembly of <i>Lucilia sericata</i> (Diptera: Calliphoridae) with predicted alternative splices, single nucleotide polymorphisms and transcript expression estimates}, volume={21}, ISSN={0962-1075 1365-2583}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01127.x}, DOI={10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01127.x}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={2}, journal={Insect Molecular Biology}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Sze, S‐H. and Dunham, J. P. and Carey, B. and Chang, P. L. and Li, F. and Edman, R. M. and Fjeldsted, C. and Scott, M. J. and Nuzhdin, S. V. and Tarone, A. M.}, year={2012}, month={Jan}, pages={205–221} }
 @article{schiemann_li_weake_belikoff_klemmer_moore_scott_2010, title={Sex-biased transcription enhancement by a 5' tethered Gal4-MOF histone acetyltransferase fusion protein in Drosophila}, volume={11}, ISSN={1471-2199}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2199-11-80}, DOI={10.1186/1471-2199-11-80}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={BMC Molecular Biology}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Schiemann, Anja H and Li, Fang and Weake, Vikki M and Belikoff, Esther J and Klemmer, Kent C and Moore, Stanley A and Scott, Maxwell J}, year={2010}, month={Nov} }