Reproducción de insectos
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.
Lab website: Insect Reproduction Lab
Farrus N, Maestro JL, Piulachs MD. 2024. CHMP4B contributes to maintaining the follicular cells integrity in the panoistic ovary of the cockroach Blattella germanica. Biology of the Cell. DOI:10.1111/boc.202400010
Rumbo M, Pagone V, Piulachs MD. 2023. Diverse functions of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) in the panoistic ovary of the German cockroach. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 156(March):103935. DOI:10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.103935
Alborzi Z, Piulachs M. 2023. Dual function of the transcription factor Ftz‐f1 on oviposition in the cockroach Blattella germanica. Insect Molecular Biology. DOI:10.1111/imb.12866
Shirai Y, Piulachs M, Belles X, Daimon T. 2022. DIPA-CRISPR is a simple and accessible method for insect gene editing. Cell Reports Methods, 2(5):100215. DOI:10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100215
Montañes JC, Rojano C, Ylla G, Piulachs MD, Maestro JL. 2021. siRNA enrichment in Argonaute 2-depleted Blattella germanica. BBA - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1864 (6-7): 194704. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2021.194704
Ramos S, Chelemen F, Pagone V, Elshaer N, Irles P, Piulachs MD. 2020. Eyes absent in the cockroach panoistic ovaries regulates proliferation and differentiation through ecdysone signalling. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 123(103407). DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103407
Ylla G, Piulachs MD, Belles X. 2018. Comparative Transcriptomics in Two Extreme Neopterans Reveals General Trends in the Evolution of Modern Insects. iScience, 4:164-179. DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2018.05.017
Ylla G, Piulachs MD, Belles X. 2018. Comparative Transcriptomics in Two Extreme Neopterans Reveals General Trends in the Evolution of Modern Insects. iScience, 4:164-179. DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2018.05.017
Rubio M, Maestro JL, Piulachs MD, Belles X. 2018. Conserved association of Argonaute 1 and 2 proteins with miRNA and siRNA pathways throughout insect evolution, from cockroaches to flies. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1861(6):554-560. DOI:10.1016/j.bbagrm.2018.04.001
Llonga N, Ylla G, Bau J, Belles X, Piulachs MD. 2018. Diversity of piRNA expression patterns during the ontogeny of the German cockroach. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution, 330(5):288-295. DOI:10.1002/jez.b.22815
Harrison MC, Jongepier E, Robertson HM, Arning N, Bitard-Feildel T, Chao H, Childers CP, Dinh H, Doddapaneni H, Dugan S, Gowin J, Greiner C, Han Y, Hu H, Hughes DST, Huylmans AK, Kemena C, Kremer LPM, Lee SL, Lopez-Ezquerra A, Mallet L, Monroy-Kuhn JM, Moser A, Murali SC, Muzny DM, Otani S, Piulachs MD, Poelchau M, Qu J, Schaub F, Wada-Katsumata A, Worley KC, Xie Q, Ylla G, Poulsen M, Gibbs RA, Schal C, Richards S, Belles X, Korb J, Bornberg-Bauer E. 2018. Hemimetabolous genomes reveal molecular basis of termite eusociality. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2(3):557-566. DOI:10.1038/s41559-017-0459-1
Harrison MC, Arning N, Kremer LPM, Ylla G, Belles X, Bornberg-Bauer E, Huylmans AK, Jongepier E, Piulachs MD, Richards S, Schal C. 2018. Expansions of key protein families in the German cockroach highlight the molecular basis of its remarkable success as a global indoor pest. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution, 330(5):254-264. DOI:10.1002/jez.b.22824
Ylla G, Piulachs MD, Belles X. 2017. Comparative analysis of miRNA expression during the development of insects of different metamorphosis modes and germ-band types. BMC Genomics, 18(1):1-13. DOI:10.1186/s12864-017-4177-5
Irles P, Ramos S, Piulachs MD. 2017. SPARC preserves follicular epithelium integrity in insect ovaries. Developmental Biology, 422(2):105-114. DOI:10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.01.005
Macedo LM, Nunes FM, Freitas FC, Pires CV, Tanaka ED, Martins JR, Piulachs MD, Cristino AS, Pinheiro DG, Simões ZL. 2016. MicroRNA signatures characterizing caste-independent ovarian activity in queen and worker honeybees (A pis mellifera L.). Insect Molecular Biology, 25(3):216-226. DOI:10.1111/imb.12214
Irles P, Elshaer N, Piulachs MD. 2016. The Notch pathway regulates both the proliferation and differentiation of follicular cells in the panoistic ovary of Blattella germanica. Open Biology, 6(1). DOI:10.1098/rsob.150197
Elshaer N, Piulachs MD. 2015. Crosstalk of EGFR signalling with Notch and Hippo pathways to regulate cell specification, migration and proliferation in cockroach panoistic ovaries. Biology of the Cell, 107(8):273-285. DOI:10.1111/boc.201500003
Dillon MB, Schulten V, Oseroff C, Paul S, Dullanty LM, Frazier A, Belles X, Piulachs MD, Visness C, Bacharier L, Bloomberg GR, Busse P, Sidney J, Peters B, Sette A. 2015. Different Bla-g T cell antigens dominate responses in asthma versus rhinitis subjects. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 45(12):1856-1867. DOI:10.1111/cea.12643
Carot-Sans G, Muñoz L, Piulachs MD, Guerrero A, Rosell G. 2015. Identification and characterization of a fatty acyl reductase from a Spodoptera littoralis female gland involved in pheromone biosynthesis. Insect Molecular Biology, 24(1):82-92. DOI:10.1111/imb.12138
Belles X, Piulachs MD. 2015. Ecdysone signalling and ovarian development in insects: From stem cells to ovarian follicle formation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1849(2):181-186. DOI:10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.05.025
Patiño-Navarrete R, Piulachs MD, Belles X, Moya A, Latorre A, Peretó J. 2014. The cockroach Blattella germanica obtains nitrogen from uric acid through a metabolic pathway shared with its bacterial endosymbiont. Biology Letters, 10(7):7-10. DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0407
Irles P, Piulachs MD. 2014. Unlike in Drosophila meroistic ovaries, Hippo represses Notch in Blattella germanica panoistic ovaries, triggering the mitosis-endocycle switch in the follicular cells. PLoS ONE, 9(11):1-19. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0113850
Herraiz A, Belles X, Piulachs MD. 2014. Chorion formation in panoistic ovaries requires windei and trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 9. Experimental Cell Research, 320(1):46-53. DOI:10.1016/j.yexcr.2013.07.006
Irles P, Silva-Torres FA, Piulachs MD. 2013. RNAi reveals the key role of Nervana 1 in cockroach oogenesis and embryo development. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 43(2):178-188. DOI:10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.12.003
Donato Tanaka E, Piulachs MD. 2012. Dicer-1 is a key enzyme in the regulation of oogenesis in panoistic ovaries. Biology of the Cell, 104(8):452-461. DOI:10.1111/boc.201100044
Boher F, Trefault N, Piulachs MD, Bellés X, Godoy-Herrera R, Bozinovic F. 2012. Biogeographic origin and thermal acclimation interact to determine survival and hsp90 expression in Drosophila species submitted to thermal stress. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - A Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 162 (4):391-396. DOI:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.04.017
Irles P, Piulachs MD. 2011. Citrus, a key insect eggshell protein. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 41(2):101-108. DOI:10.1016/j.ibmb.2010.11.001
Herraiz A, Chauvigné F, Cerdà J, Bellés X, Piulachs MD. 2011. Identification and functional characterization of an ovarian aquaporin from the cockroach Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). Journal of Experimental Biology, 214(21):3630-3638. DOI:10.1242/jeb.057406
Folguera G, Bastías DA, Caers J, Rojas JM, Piulachs MD, Bellés X, Bozinovic F. 2011. An experimental test of the role of environmental temperature variability on ectotherm molecular, physiological and life-history traits: Implications for global warming. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - A Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 159(3):242-246. DOI:10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.03.002
Cristino AS, Tanaka ED, Rubio M, Piulachs MD, Belles X. 2011. Deep sequencing of organ- and stage-specific micrornas in the evolutionarily basal insect Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). PLoS ONE, 6(4). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0019350
Clynen E, Ciudad L, Bellés X, Piulachs MD. 2011. Conservation of fruitless’ role as master regulator of male courtship behaviour from cockroaches to flies. Development Genes and Evolution, 221(1):43-48. DOI:10.1007/s00427-011-0352-x
Bortolin F, Piulachs MD, Congiu L, Fusco G. 2011. Cloning and expression pattern of the ecdysone receptor and retinoid X receptor from the centipede Lithobius peregrinus (Chilopoda, Lithobiomorpha). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 174(1):60-69. DOI:10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.08.008