FOR 1234: iBeetle: Functional Genomics of Insect Embryogenesis and Metamorphosis

赤拟谷盗已发展成为仅次于果蝇的重要昆虫模式系统。强大的反向遗传学和可用的基因组序列使我们能够针对不同的生物学问题进行无偏见的全基因组RNA干扰筛选。有了这个研究单位，我们打算克服目前流行的，候选基因的方法在果蝇以外的节肢动物，并旨在进一步转化拟谷盗成一个强大的主要模型系统，适合在昆虫发育，进化，生理学和害虫防治的基础研究。(1)我们的目标是为遗传分析开辟更多的昆虫研究领域，这些领域目前要么因为果蝇的情况过于衍生而被忽视，（例如内卷幼虫头部），因为果蝇中不存在感兴趣的器官（例如防御腺），或者因为它们需要在胚后阶段选择性地使基因失活（例如变态）-这在赤拟谷盗属中容易通过系统性RNAi实现。(2)我们的目标是识别昆虫生物学所必需的基因，这些基因在果蝇中没有（或不同）功能。过去对赤拟谷盗的研究表明，在果蝇中，诸如分割、腿发育和轴形成等被深入研究的过程的关键成分没有被发现，因为它们不参与这些过程。(3)我们的目标是使Tribolium成为一个有效的互补筛选平台，可以快速识别保守过程的组成部分，这些组成部分在其他模型系统中不容易识别，但一旦在Tribolium中识别出来，就可以在建立的模型系统中进行详细研究（例如果蝇的肌肉发育或不对称细胞分裂）。我们承诺将尽快与社区分享增强基因组注释的结果和表型数据。

The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum has developed into a major insect model system second only to Drosophila melanogaster. The powerful reverse genetics and the available genomic sequence allow us to conduct an unbiased genome-wide RNA interference screen targeting diverse biological questions. With this Research Unit we intend to overcome the currently prevailing, candidate gene approach in arthropods outside of Drosophila, and aim at further transforming Tribolium into a powerful primary model system suited for basic research in insect development, evolution, physiology and pest control. (1) We aim to open additional fields of insect research to genetic analysis, fields that are currently neglected either because the Drosophila situation is too derived (e.g. involuted larval head), because the organs of interest are not present in Drosophila (e.g. defensive glands), or because they require the selective inactivation of genes at postembryonic stages (e.g. metamorphosis) - which in Tribolium is readily achieved through systemic RNAi. (2) We aim to identify genes essential for insect biology, which have no (or different) functions in Drosophila. Past work in Tribolium has revealed that crucial components of intensely studied processes like segmentation, leg development and axis formation have escaped detection because they are not involved in these processes in Drosophila. (3) We aim to make Tribolium an efficient complementary screening platform that allows to rapidly identify components of conserved processes, which are not as easily identifiable in other model systems but which - once identified in Tribolium - can then be studied in detail back in the established model system (e.g. muscle development or asymmetric cell division in Drosophila). It is our commitment to share with the community the results of the enhanced genome annotation and the phenotypic data as soon as possible.