Bioinformatic Analysis of Parasitoid Wasp Venom: Integrating Bioinformatics into a Traditional Laboratory Course

Bioinformatic analysis is an important component of modern biology, yet many students graduate with no experience in this field. In an attempt to widen the exposure to bioinformatics education, I have integrated a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Bioinformatics into a traditional laboratory course. This Bioinformatics CURE provided an introduction to the principles of bioinformatics, and the integration of the module into the laboratory based course allowed them to appreciate the role of bioinformatic analysis in the overall experimental design. In the course students learn a variety of cell biology techniques while studying host-parasite interactions between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila-infecting parasitoid wasps. This CURE was based upon the analysis of parasitoid wasp venoms using bioinformatic approaches, and this learning experience enabled the students to produce a high quality bioinformatic analysis of parasitoid wasp venom proteins. Parasitoid venom is a complex mixture of proteins that serve to manipulate host physiology and metabolism and includes immunomodulatory virulence factors. To date, most studies of parasitoid venoms have focused on the analysis of individual proteins, so for this CURE the students decided to study the entire venom proteome of a single parasitoid species. Their findings represent an important first step in understanding the evolution and aggregate activity of parasitoid venoms, and illustrate the benefits of integrating bioinformatics education into a traditional laboratory course. This project has been supported by the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University.