Researchers map genome of insect

Researchers at the University of B.C. have decoded the genome of the mountain pine beetle, an insect that has ravaged millions of hectares of the province's lodgepole pine forests.

It is the first time the pine beetle's genome has been sequenced, and scientists from UBC and the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre say the new information will help to manage the infestation in the future, according to a report published Tuesday in the Journal Genome Biology.

"We know a lot about what the beetles do," said Christopher Keeling, a research associate at the centre. "But without the genome, we don't know exactly how they do it."

The research revealed wide variation among individuals of the species, about four times greater than the variation among humans, the report said.

The researchers isolated genes that help detoxify defence compounds found under the bark of the tree, where the beetles live. They also found genes that degrade plant cell walls, which allow the beetles to get nutrients from the tree.

The study also involved researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of Alberta.

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Researchers map genome of insect