Research labs
Insect Reproduction lab
The research carried out by this lab aims at understanding the mechanisms that regulate insect oogenesis. The model used is Blattella germanica, an insect with a panoistic ovary type, which is the most primitive ovary type among insects. This lab studies the expression of the genes involved in the main signalling pathways and its regulation by hormones and by the small non-coding RNA that modulates them. The comparison of these results with those already described in other, more modified insect species, suggests that some functions are preserved in evolution, although the regulation of these functions could have changed.
Principal investigator: Maria-Dolors Piulachs
Members of the lab: Ariadna Pedraza, Master Student; Patricia Toro, Master Student; Guillem Ylla, PhD Student; Natalia Llonga, Master Student, and Jimena Leyria, Postdoctoral Researcher
Oral presentations and talks given: 1
Main publications and other research activities:
Irles, P., Ramos, S., Piulachs, M.D. (2017). SPARC preserves follicular epithelium integrity in insect ovaries. Developmental Biology. 422 ( 2): 105-114.
Ylla, G., Piulachs, M.D. and Belles, X. (2017). Comparative analysis of miRNA expression during the development of insects of different metamorphosis modes and germband types. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:774.
Funding (active projects in 2017 only):
| Name of the project | RNAi «a la carta» para el control de cucarachas |
| Principal investigator | M.Dolors Piulachs and Jose Luis Maestro. |
| Funding institution | MINECO |
| Name of the project | Modifying plants to produce interfering RNA |
| Principal investigator | Bruno Mezzetti (Italia) |
| Funding institution | CA COSTaction CA15223 |
More information: Insect Reproduction lab’s website