Introduction Methods Expected outcomes Conclusions IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF ACCESSORY GLANDS IN THE GLOSSINA GENUS Muna.F.Abry1 ,Daniel Masiga2 ,Benard Kulohoma1,2 1) University of Nairobi 2) International centre for insect physiology and ecology (ICIPE) There is a high level of genetic diversity at the ACP gene locus in the Glossina species. Introduction Accessory gland proteins (ACPs) are reproductive proteins produced by the male accessory glands (MAGS) of most insect species. These proteins are essential for male fertility and play a major role in regulating female reproductive physiology and oviposition .ACPs therefore present attractive potential candidates for biological and genetic control of insect pests. Currently, there is limited information on the identity and organization of ACPs in the sequence of the recently sequenced Glossina genus genomes. This study aims to identify the presence of ACPs in the four publicly available genomes of the Glossina (tsetse fly) insect species and from prospectively collected samples in East Africa. The tsetse fly is the principal vector of the parasite that causes Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) and cattle Nagana. Over 60 million people and 80 million cattle are at risk of contracting disease in sub-Saharan Africa. We exploit the availability of Glossina genomes to explore the plausibility of ACPs as targets against successful reproduction, and therefore vectorial capacity as control strategies for disease management. Our study will exploit state of the art bioinformatics approaches to assess the Acps sequence similarity in four Glossina species specifically: G.austeni ,G.brevipalpis, G.fuscipes and G.pallidipes against those that are well characterized in Drosophila and Anopheles genomes. Adapted from publichealth.yale.edu Hypothesis and Objectives H0 :There is a high level of genetic diversity at the ACP gene locus in the Glossina species. Objectives: Identify presence of ACP genes in the available Glossina genomes. Compare the genetic diversity between Glossina ACP homologs to those identified in the Drosophila and Anopheles genomes.   Adapted from lookfordiagnosis.com Methods The wet laboratory research will be carried out at the International Center of Insect Phsiology and Ecology (ICIPE) insilico ACP detection will be conducted at the University of Nairobi’s Center for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB) Study site Publicly available genomes of G. austeni, G. morsitans, G. pallidipes, G.fuscipes and G. brevipalpis from Vectorbase (www.vectorbase.org) will be used ACP domains will be identified against those of Drosophila and Anopheles ACP homologs(Dottorini et al., 2007) using HMMER version 3.0. Datasets and analysis DNA will be extracted using QIAGEN kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions from 50 tsetse samples (10 from each species: G.austeni, G. pallidipes, G.fuscipes and G.brevipalpis) . DNA extraction Development of the tsetse’s ACP primers will be conducted to screening of samples Ultra Violet illuminator will be used to view the presence of ACP genes across the forementioned tsetse fly species PCR analysis and gel electrophoresis Expected outcomes Acps are rapidly evolving genes not only in the Drosophila and Anopheles genomes but also in the Glossina genus explaining their high divergence across outgroup species. Conclusions A vector control strategy for the tsetse fly is essential to human and cattle health as well as to agricultural productivity. Male accessory glands secretions that include ACP tend to induce the reduction of female lifespan rendering them important candidates for the biological and genetic control of insect pests including the tsetse fly. CENTRE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS (CEBIB), UNIVERISTY OF NAIROBI