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 Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research: Manhattan, KS
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ARS Home Plains Area Manhattan, Kansas Center for Grain and Animal Health Research Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research People





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- Paul Armstrong
- Dan Brabec
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- Alison Gerken
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- Brenda Oppert
- Lester Pordesimo
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Brenda S Oppert    Research Molecular Biologist Dr. Brenda Oppert

**Dr. Brenda OppertResearch Molecular Biologist**
USDA-ARS-CGAHR-SPIERUATTN: Brenda Oppert1515 College AvenueManhattan, KS  66502brenda.oppert@usda.govTelephone: 785.776.2780www.ars.usda.gov/pa/cgahr/spieru/oppert**EDUCATION**
B.S., Biology, Kansas State University
M.S., Biology, Kansas State University
Ph.D., Protein Biochemistry, Kansas State University
​All Publications     Research Summaries     More Information**RESEARCH INTERESTS**
Dr. Oppert’s research historically has focused on how stored product insects digest food, looking for enzymes/proteins that are critical for survival as potential targets for new control products. Additionally, she has studied mode of action and resistance mechanisms to Bt toxins in stored product moths and beetles. Since 2007, she has applied high throughput sequencing to functional genomics of stored product insects. Using transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics, Dr. Oppert applies gene expression analysis (RNASeq) to the evaluation of toxin mode of action and insecticide resistance in *Tribolium castaneum* and *Tenebrio molitor*. She also uses RNASeq in developmental stages and tissues to identify potential targets for RNAi and CRISPR in stored product pests. She leads projects sequencing the genomes of *Rhyzopertha dominica*, *T. molitor*, and *Sitophilus oryzae*.   Recently, Dr. Oppert began working on genomic resources for the development of insects as food to meet the global protein sustainability crisis. Working with All Things Bugs LLC, she collaborated on a Department of Defense DARPA SBIR project to develop genetic resources for *T. molitor*, *Gryllodes sigillatus*, and *Acheta domesticus*. The research will improve the protein and vitamin content in insects for animal feed, and solve problems associated with disease in crickets and other species.
Google Scholar    ORCID    LinkedIn**RECENT PUBLICATIONS** 
Dunaevsky, Y. E., V. F. Tereshchenkova, B. Oppert, M. A. Belozersky, I. Y. Filippova, and E. N. Elpidina. 2020. Human proline specific peptidases: a systemic analysis. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1864: 129636.Filippova, I. Y., E. A. Dvoryakova, N. I. Sokolenko, T. R. Simonyan, V. F. Tereshchenkova, N. I. Zhiganov, Y. E. Dunaevsky, M. A. Belozersky, B. Oppert, and E. N. Elpidina. 2020. New glutamine-containing substrates for the assay of cysteine peptidases from the C1 papain family. Front. Mol. Biosci. 7: 578758.Oeyen, J. P. et al. (Oppert, B. #50). 2020. Sawfly genomes reveal evolutionary acquisitions that fostered the mega-radiation of parasitoid and eusocial Hymenoptera. Genome Biol. Evol. 12: 1099-1188.Oppert, B. S., L. C. Perkin, M. Lorenzen, and A. T. Dossey. 2020. Transcriptome analysis of life stages of the house cricket, *Acheta domesticus*, to improve insect crop production. Sci. Rep. 10: 3471.Sparks, M., D. E. Gundersen, R. Bansal, B. S. Oppert, M. F. Poelchau, C. Childers, J. H. Rhoades, A. S. Velamuri, J. B. Benoit, H. Chao, M. B. Blackburn, and J. Johnston. 2020. Brown marmorated stink bug, *Halyomorpha halys* (Stål), genome: Underpinngs of polyphagy, insecticide resistance potential and biology of a top worldwide pest. BMC Genomics 21: 227.Athanassiou, C. G., N. G. Kavallieratos, D. L. Brabec, B. S. Oppert, R. N. C. Guedes, and J. F. Campbell. 2019. From immobilization to recovery: Towards the development of a rapid diagnostic indicator for phosphine resistance. J. Stored Prod. Res. 80: 28-33.Elpidina, E. N., T. A. Semashko, Y. A. Smirnova, E. A. Dvoryakova, Y. E. Dunaevsky, M. A. Belozersky, M. V. Serebryakova, E. V. Klyachko, A. O Abd El-latif, B. Oppert, and I. Y. Filippova. 2019. Direct detection of cysteine peptidases for MALDI-TOF MS analysis using fluorogenic substrates. Anal. Biochem. 567: 45-50.Hubhachen, Z., H. Jiang, D. Schlipalius, Y. Park, R. N. C. Guedes, B. Oppert, G. Opit, and T. W. Phillips. 2019. A CAPS marker for determination of strong phosphine resistance in *Tribolium castaneum* from Brazil. J. Pest Sci. p. 1-8.Oppert, B., and L. Perkin. 2019. RNAiSeq: How to see the big picture. Front. Microbiol. 10: 2570.Oppert, B., F.-C. Chu, S. Reyna, S. Pinzi, S. Adrianos, L. Perkin, and M. Lorenzen. 2019. Effects of targeting eye color in *Tenebrio molitor* through RNA interference of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (*vermilion*): Implications for insect farming. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 10: e21546.


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