Insect Reproduction Using RNAi Methodologies

DATE: July 2021
Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC- Univ. Pompeu Fabra) | Insect Reproduction Lab
Maria-Dolors Piulachs, Research Scientist at CSIC

Our research is focused in the study of genes involved in insect reproduction using RNAi methodologies. The use of double strand RNAs (dsRNA) allows us to identify the gene function by depleting the expression of the mRNAs codified by these genes. In the laboratory the dsRNAs are synthetized in vitro and must be injected to the insects, in our case to the cockroach Blattella germanica our laboratory model. The dsRNAs are injected using Hamilton microsyringes to nymphs and adult females of the cockroach Blattella germanica, to deplete the mRNA target of this dsRNA.

The Hamilton microsyringes are really useful to inject small volumes to the insect abdomen, and they have been used in the laboratory for more than 30 years from undergraduate students to visiting senior researchers. The design of Hamilton microsyringes, but mainly the characteristics of the needles, their diameter and the angle of their terminal part, make them ideal for carrying out this type of treatment on insects.

Routinely to inject the cockroach we use 5 µL syringes from the series 700 (75N and 75RN) with 26S and 33S needle and point style 4. The Hamilton product grant will allow us to test other micro-syringes with thinner needles that allow us to perform treatments in the youngest stages of cockroach development.