英国《自然—通讯》期刊将于15日在线发表由中科院动物研究所领衔、深圳华大基因研究院和中科院北京生命科学研究院等单位参与的一项研究成果。该研究成功破译了迄今为止最大的动物基因组——飞蝗的全基因组序列图谱。同时，国际知名数据库NCBIGENBANK也向全球公开飞蝗基因组数据。
“蝗虫本身也是维持生态系统稳定性的重要成员，没有必要将其赶尽杀绝。只要它们不严重危害以生产为目的的农作物，应该允许一定数量的蝗虫存在于自然环境中。”康乐说。
来源：中国科学报 冯丽妃
Abstract
Locusts are one of the world’s most destructive agricultural pests and represent a useful model system in entomology. Here we present a draft 6.5 Gb genome sequence of Locusta migratoria, which is the largest animal genome sequenced so far. Our findings indicate that the large genome size of L. migratoria is likely to be because of transposable element proliferation combined with slow rates of loss for these elements. Methylome and transcriptome analyses reveal complex regulatory mechanisms involved in microtubule dynamic-mediated synapse plasticity during phase change. We find significant expansion of gene families associated with energy consumption and detoxification, consistent with long-distance flight capacity and phytophagy. We report hundreds of potential insecticide target genes, including cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels, G-protein-coupled receptors and lethal genes. The L. migratoria genome sequence offers new insights into the biology and sustainable management of this pest species, and will promote its wide use as a model system.
