Patricia Victoria Pietrantonio

TITLE: Associate Professor - Insect Toxicology (2002-current), Assistant Professor (1996-2002). TAES Fellow (2006).

AREA of EXPERTISE: Section B ESA: Toxicology, Physiology and Molecular Biology

EDUCATION:

• Ph.D. Entomology. University of California, Riverside, 1995
• M. Sc. Entomology. University of California, Riverside, 1990
• Ingeniera Agronoma. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina,1982.

RESEARCH EMPHASIS: Molecular and functional characterization of G protein-coupled receptors, transporters and channels (aquaporins) in insect nervous, digestive and excretory systems. Insecticide toxicology. Mode of action of insecticides. Mechanisms of insecticide resistance in insects. Bacillus thuringiensis toxins and transgenic cotton.

RESEARCH AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Research:
Identification and molecular characterization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and channels from important arthropod pests: mosquito, tick and fire ants. Molecular understanding of the effector proteins that function to regulate diuresis or water movement in insects. The identification/ functional characterization of these proteins could be exploited for pesticide discovery. For production agriculture, we focused on insecticide resistance monitoring for cotton pests; for boll weevil we monitored for resistance to malathion in support of the multi-million dollar Boll Weevil Eradication Program and published these results in Conference Proceedings. For bollworm, H. zea, we evaluate resistance to pyrethroids.

Teaching:
As Chair or co-Chair I have graduated 3 Ph.D. students and one M.S. student. I currently have three other Ph.D. students in my lab (C. Jagge, H.L. Lu and B. Hopkins), co-Chair a fourth (M. Blandon), and serve on the committee of two additional Ph.D. students (P. Barron and G. Aquino-Perez); I have served on additional committees of 4 Ph.D. students, who have graduated. Courses (see below).Service: I am a newly appointed Subject Editor for Physiological Ecology for the journal Environmental Entomology, I am an Associate Editor for the journal Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. In the Department I serve in the Graduate Student Recruitment and Admissions Committee.

TEACHING ACTIVITIES:

SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS (Last 5 Years)

^†Post doc supervised ¶Graduate student supervised *Corresponding author.

Pietrantonio, P.V.*, T. A. Junek, R. Parker, D. Mott, K. Siders, N. Troxclair, J. Vargas-Camplis, J. K. Westbrook, and V. A. Vassiliou. 2007. Detection and Evolution of Resistance to the Pyrethroid Cypermethrin in Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) Populations in Texas. Environmental Entomology (Accepted)

Pietrantonio, P.V.*, T.A. Junek, R. Parker, E. Bynum, G. Cronholm, G. Moore, D. Mott, C. Sansone, K. Siders, N. Troxclair. 2006. Monitoring for pyrethroid resistance in the bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) in Texas, 2005. Suggestions for resistance monitoring and collaborative research.  Plant Health Progress, Accepted with editorial revisions July 10/06  (Online Journal of Plant Management Network) http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/sub/php/symposium/hzea/bollworm/

Taneja-Bageshwar^†, S., A. Strey, P. Zubrzak, P.V. Pietrantonio* and R. Nachman*. 2006. Comparative structure-activity analysis of insect kinin core analogs on recombinant kinin receptors from Southern cattle tick Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Archiv. Insect Biochem. Physiol. Special issue 62:128-140.

Chen, Mei-Er^†, S.P. Holmes¶, and P.V. Pietrantonio. * 2006. Glucose transporter 8 (GLUT8) from the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Archiv. Insect Biochem Physiol. 62: 55-72.

Chen, Mei-Er^† and P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2006. The short neuropeptide F-like receptor from the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Archiv. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 61:195-208.

Taneja-Bageshwar^†, S., A. Strey, P. Zubrzak, P.V. Pietrantonio* and R. Nachman*. 2005. Structure-activity relationships for insect kinins on expressed receptors from a tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and a mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae). Pestycydy 3: 55-59 (Pesticides, Poland ISSN: 0208-8703; Institute of Industrial Organic Chemistry).

Neupert, S.*, R. Predel, W.K. Russell, R. Davies, P.V. Pietrantonio and R.J. Nachman. 2005. Identification of tick periviscerokinin, the first neurohormone of Ixodidae: single cell analysis by means of MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 338: 1860-1864.

Pietrantonio*, P. V., C. Jagge¶, S. Taneja-Bageshwar^†, R.J. Nachman, and R. Barhoumi. 2005. The mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) leucokinin receptor is a multiligand receptor for the three Aedes kinins. Insect Mol. Biol. 14: 55-67.

Chen¶, M.-E., D.K. Lewis, L.L. Keeley, and P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2004. cDNA cloning and transcriptional regulation of the vitellogenin receptor from the imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insect Mol. Biol. 13: 195-204.

Chen^†, A., S.P. Holmes¶ and, P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2004. Molecular cloning and functional expression of a serotonin receptor from the Southern cattle tick, Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae). Insect Mol. Biol. 13: 45-54.

D.-W. Lee^† and P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2003. In vitro expression and pharmacology of the 5-HT7-like receptor present in the mosquito Aedes aegypti tracheolar cells and hindgut-associated nerves. Insect Mol. Biol. 12: 561-569.

Bokonon-Ganta, A.H., J. Bernal*, P.V. Pietrantonio and M. Setamou. 2003. Survivorship and development of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on conventional and transgenic maize cultivars expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Cry9C and Cry1A(b) endotoxins. International J. Pest Management 49: 169-175.

Duchesne, L., J.-F. Hubert, J.M. Verbavatz, D. Thomas, and P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2003. Mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae) aquaporin present in tracheolar cells transports water, not glycerol, and forms orthogonal arrays in Xenopus oocyte membranes. Eur. J. Biochem. 270: 422-429.

Holmes¶, S.P., R. Barhoumi, R.J. Nachman, and P.V. Pietrantonio*. 2003. Functional analysis of a G protein-coupled receptor from the southern cattle tick Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) identifies it as the first arthropod myokinin receptor. Insect Mol. Biol. 12: 27- 38.

Pietrantonio*, P.V., S.P. Holmes¶, C. Jagge and S.K. Frazier¶. 2002. Cloning of troponin C and other gene fragments from the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Southwestern Entomol. Suppl.25: 89-96.

SIGNIFICANT INVITED PRESENTATIONS (over the past 5 years)

“Validating GPCRs as targets for insecticides and acaricides.” Workshop 2 - "Approaches for the identification of novel insecticide targets.” 2006. Invited by L. Field and T. Dadhialla. V Intl. Symposium in Mol. Insect Science, Tucson, Arizona, May 20-25, 2006.

“G protein-coupled receptors from mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) excretory system: characterization, function and structure-activity relationships.” 2005. Oral presentation P.V.P. and abstract. Invited by the EMBO organizing committee to the Workshop “Molecular and population biology of mosquitoes.” Kolymbari, Crete, Greece.

“Leucokinin signal transduction in blood feeding vectors of disease, the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) and the Southern cattle tick, Boophilus microplus (Canestrini).” 2004. Invited by Drs. J. Vanden Broeck and D. Samuelson for the Symposia on Insect Signal Transduction (Section 13) International Congress of Entomology in Brisbane, Australia.

“Understanding serotonin signal transduction in arthropods vectors of disease: Aedes aegypti (L.) and Boophilus microplus (Canestrini).” Invited by Dr. W. Blenau (Postdam University, Germany) for the Symposia on Biogenic Amines (Section 12) Intl. Congress of Entomology in Brisbane, Australia. Given the “lecture spot for 30 min” instead of 15 min at the request of the organizers.

GRANTS (Last 5 years)

“Functional characterization and target validation of tick (Boophilus microplus) G protein-coupled receptors.” National Research Initiative /USDA CSREES Entomology. Grant renewal. Funds: $391,000. 2008-2011.

“Development of novel control methods using the vitellogenin and short neuropeptide F receptors that regulate reproduction in the Red Imported Fire Ant.” Co-PI. P. V. Pietrantonio and Co-PI B. Vinson. Red Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan. 2005. Funded $150,000 yearly for 05-06 and 06-07. Funds under Pietrantonio: $150,000 total for 2 years.

“Monitoring for pesticide resistance in Texas.” Funds: $13,000 yearly 2003-2006. Total 3 years: $39,000. Cotton Incorporated.

“Monitoring and Predicting Mosquito Resistance in Harris County, Texas.” 2004. Southern Region Integrated Pest Management. USDA/ CSREES. Funds under P. Pietrantonio $15, 987. Co-Principal Investigator, P.V. Pietrantonio; J. Olson, Co-PI; J. Tomberlin, Co-PI.

“Developing the concept of reproductive control as a method to reduce the Imported Fire ant populations.” 2003-2004. Co-PI Dr. Bradley Vinson- Co-PI P.V. Pietrantonio. Fire Ant Research and Management Plan. Fire Ant Legislative Initiative. Funds under Pietrantonio’s budget: $55,000.

“Boll weevil susceptibility to malathion.” Funds: $14,300. January 2002- December 2002. Cotton Incorporated.

“Susceptibility of bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) and budworm (Heliothis virescens) populations from the Brazos Rivers Bottoms (TX) to the Cry1Ac toxin present in B. t. cotton.” 2002. Funds: $13,000. Cotton Incorporated.