Dr. Cam Donly

Image Cam Donly
Research Scientist

Molecular biology of insects and their pathogens.

Current research and/or projects

My laboratory conducts research aimed at improving tools and practices for Canadian agriculture in three general areas: trap plant development, biopesticide development, and management of insecticide resistance.

Research and/or project statements

  • Development of insecticidal trap plants incorporating RNAi technology for insect control in greenhouse agriculture.  
  • Global analysis of gene expression of baculoviruses infecting the canola pest, bertha armyworm.
  • Characterization of molecular mechanisms involved in pesticide resistance in insects.

Education and awards

PhD, Dept of Biochemistry, University of Western Ontario

Key publications

  1. Vickruck, J. et al. 2022. Insecticide resistance varies regionally in the Colorado Potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Northeast Potato Technology Forum, March 2022, PEI.

    2022 - View publication details

  2. Kaplanoglu, E. , Kolotilin, I. , Menassa, R. , Donly, C. Transplastomic Tomato Plants Expressing Insect-Specific Double-Stranded RNAs: A Protocol Based on Biolistic Transformation. Methods in Molecular Biology. Volume 2360, Pages 235 - 252 (2022).

    2021 - View publication details

  3. Favell, G., McNeil, J.N., Donly, C. (2020). The ABCB multidrug resistance proteins do not contribute to ivermectin detoxification in the colorado potato beetle, leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). Insects, [online] 11(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects11020135

    2020 - View publication details

  4. Burke, W.G., Kaplanoglu, E., Kolotilin, I., Menassa, R., Donly, C. (2019). RNA interference in the tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta, using plastid-encoded long double-stranded RNA. Frontiers in Plant Science, [online] 10 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00313

    2019 - View publication details

  5. Kolosov, D., Donly, C., MacMillan, H., O'Donnell, M.J. (2019). Transcriptomic analysis of the Malpighian tubules of Trichoplusia ni: Clues to mechanisms for switching from ion secretion to ion reabsorption in the distal ileac plexus. Journal of Insect Physiology, [online] 112 73-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.12.005

    2019 - View publication details

  6. Donly, C., Kaplanoglu, E., Ludba, K.K., Kolotilin, I., Menassa, R., and Scott, I.M. (2018) Effects of RNA interference on greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum). Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario.

    2018 - View publication details

  7. Burke, W.G., Kaplanoglu, E and Donly, C. (2018) RNA interference of the tobacco hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, using chloroplast-encoded long dsRNA. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario.

    2018 - View publication details

  8. Kaplanoglu, E., Chapman, P., Scott, I.M., Donly, C. (2017). Overexpression of a cytochrome P450 and a UDP-glycosyltransferase is associated with imidacloprid resistance in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Scientific Reports, [online] 7(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01961-4

    2017 - View publication details

  9. Ludba, K., Donly, C., Kaplanoglu, E., Thompson, G., Scott, I. 2017. Enhancing trap crops: testing RNAi potential in planta to target sap-feeding insects. American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting. Honolulu, HI, U.S.A. June 24-28.

    2017 - View publication details

  10. Favell, G., Donly, C. (2017) RNA interference of MDR genes in L. decemlineata and T. ni by ingestion of double-stranded RNA. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 14-16 June 2017, oral presentation.

    2017 - View publication details

  11. Donly, C., Kaplanoglu, E., Ludba, K., Kolotilin, I., Menassa, R., Scott, I. (2017) Insecticidal trap plants incorporating RNA interference technology. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 14-16 June 2017, oral presentation.

    2017 - View publication details

  12. Chen, E., Donly, C. (2017) Diet effects on transcriptomics in Trichoplusia ni and its susceptibility to AcMNPV baculovirus. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 14-16 June 2017, oral presentation.

    2017 - View publication details

  13. Javed, M.A., Biswas, S., Willis, L.G., Harris, S., Pritchard, C., van Oers, M.M., Cameron Donly, B., Erlandson, M.A., Hegedus, D.D., Theilmann, D.A. (2017). Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus AC83 is a per os infectivity factor (PIF) protein required for occlusion-derived virus (ODV) and budded virus nucleocapsid assembly as well as assembly of the PIF complex in ODV envelopes. Journal of Virology, [online] 91(5), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02115-16

    2017 - View publication details

  14. Donly, B.C., Kaplanoglu, E., Theilmann, D.A., Baldwin, D., Sieminska, E., Hegedus, D.D., Erlandson, M.A. (2016). MacoNPV baculovirus midgut-specific gene expression during infection of the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata. Virology, [online] 499 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2016.09.001

    2016 - View publication details

  15. Javed, M.A., Harris, S., Willis, L.G., Theilmann, D.A., Donly, B.C., Erlandson, M.A., Hegedus, D.D. (2016). Microscopic investigation of AcMNPV infection in the Trichoplusia ni midgut. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, [online] 141 24-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2016.10.006

    2016 - View publication details

  16. Ludba, K.K., Thompson, G.J., Donly, B.C., Percival-Smith, A., Scott, I.M. (2016). Fatal attraction: the volatile influences that will lead whiteflies to deadly encounters and the RNAi responsible. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 8-10 June 2016, Oral Presentation.

    2016 - View publication details

  17. Donly, C., Kaplanoglu, E., Theilmann, D., Hegedus, D., Baldwin, D., Siemenska, E., Erlandson, M. (2016) Measuring the Mamestra configurata Nucleopolyhedrosis Virus Transcriptome: Personalized Insect Genomics. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 8-10 June 2016, oral presentation.

    2016 - View publication details

  18. Kaplanoglu, E., Chapman, P., Scott, I., Donly, C. (2016) Neonicotinoid resistance in the Colorado potato beetle. Insect Biotech Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario. 8-10 June 2016, Oral Presentation.

    2016 - View publication details

  19. Theilmann, D.A., Willis, L.G., Weis, M.M., Donly, B.C., Hegedus, D.D., and Erlandson, M.A. (2015). "Analysis of occlusion derived virus infection in tissue culture using gene knock out viruses of the per os infectivity factors and GP64.", 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, August 9-13, 2015, Oral Presentation.

    2015 - View publication details

  20. Erlandson, M.A., Donly, B.C., Theilmann, D.A., Hegedus, D.D., Coutu, C., and Baldwin, D. (2014). "Mamestra configurata nucleopolyhedrovirus-A transcriptome from infected host midgut.", 47th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, August 3-7, 2014, oral presentation, pp. 80.

    2014 - View publication details

Research facility

1391 Sandford Street
London, ON N5V 4T3
Canada

Affiliations

  • Adjunct Professor, Dept of Biology, University of Western Ontario
  • Editorial Board Member for the Journal "Insects"
  • NSERC Scholarships and Fellowships Committee 187 for Molecular and Cellular Biology

Language

English