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Open Access 01-11-2021 | Original Article

Age-dependent gene expression of Calliphora vicina pupae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at constant and fluctuating temperatures

Authors: K. Hartmann, E. Herrmann, J. Amendt, M. A. Verhoff, R. Zehner

Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Issue 6/2021

Abstract

Estimating the age of the developmental stages of the blow fly Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is of forensic relevance for the determination of the minimum post-mortem interval (PMI_min). Fly eggs and larvae can be aged using anatomical and morphological characters and their modification during development. However, such methods can only hardly be applied for aging fly pupae. Previous study described age estimation of C. vicina pupae using gene expression, but just when reared at constant temperatures, but fluctuating temperatures represent a more realistic scenario at a crime scene. Therefore, age-dependent gene expression of C. vicina pupae were compared at 3 fluctuating and 3 constant temperatures, the latter representing the mean values of the fluctuating profiles. The chosen marker genes showed uniform expression patterns during metamorphosis of C. vicina pupae bred at different temperature conditions (constant or fluctuating) but the same mean temperature (e.g. constant 10 °C vs. fluctuating 5–15 °C). We present an R-based statistical tool, which enables estimation of the age of the examined pupa based on the analysed gene expression data.

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Title: Age-dependent gene expression of Calliphora vicina pupae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at constant and fluctuating temperatures
Authors: K. Hartmann
E. Herrmann
J. Amendt
M. A. Verhoff
R. Zehner
Publication date: 01-11-2021
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Issue 6/2021
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-021-02704-x

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Age-dependent gene expression of Calliphora vicina pupae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at constant and fluctuating temperatures

Abstract

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Abstract

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