S10
RNA interference- comparative studies of gene functions in invertebrates
Organizer:
Klaus H. Hoffmann (University of Bayreuth, Germany)
The increasing availability of invertebrate genomes has revealed a large number of genes without functions. RNA interference (RNAi) or posttranslational gene silencing has emerged as a powerful tool for down-regulating gene expression in insects and other invertebrates, such as nematodes, molluscs, crustaceans or spiders. This suppression of gene expression by injection or feeding of double-stranded RNA has become a widely used technique in analyzing gene functions in vivo, especially in non-model organisms. Moreover, the possibility of studying the functions of homologous genes in different taxa may give us a comparative and evolutionary insight into their life processes. Finally, ingested double-stranded RNAs can act as species-specific insecticides in an ecologically friendly pest control.
Speakers:
1) Kenji Tomioka (Okayama University, Japan)
Molecular dissection of an insect circadian clock with RNAi
2) Klaus H. Hoffmann (University of Bayreuth, Germany)
Using RNA interference in analyzing the role of juvenile hormone in insect reproduction
3) Taro Mito (University of Tokushima, Japan)
Ancestral development mechanisms in insects revealed by RNAi analysis of cricket genes
4) Wenquing Zhang (Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China)
RNAi studies in insects in China.
5) Yasuhiko Kato, Hajime Watanabe (Osaka University, Japan): Development of an RNA interference method in the cladoceran crustacean Daphnia magna.