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BIOMOL-Molekylær biovitenskap og bioteknologi

Development and application of RNA interference technology for understanding the regulation of key somatic maintenance functions in honeybee

Awarded: NOK 2.6 mill.

Due to its social attributes, ints learning capaabilities, and several facultative physiological and behavioural traits under social control, the honeybee provides opportunities for cutting-edge research not possessed by the Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, zebrafish and the mice systems. The honeybee genome sequence is expected to be finished in 2003. The availability of the honeybee sequence will very soon induce a substantial demand for a targeted gene knockout technology that will be critic al for the establishment of the honeybee as a model animal for functional genomic research. We would like to take advantage of the efact that we are currently at the researach front concerning the use of RNA interference (RNAi) technology for targeted gen e disruption in honeybees. Together with our collaborators, we want to keep our position by further developing the RNAi methodology, so that it can become a general and flexible tool for honeybee functional genomics. The other main objective of this propo sal is to make active use of the RNAi approach together with sequence information from the honeybee genome project, cell culture techniques and microarray analyses to gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory anat omy of honeybee ageing and senescence . We are at the research front of honeybee ageing biology, and we think that continuation of our research may not just provide opportunities for gaining a deeper understanding of hormonal regulation of key somatic main tenance functions in general, but al so provide new insights about the regulation of antibacterial peptide expression and how to detect candidate genes for peptides of possible biomedical importance.

Funding scheme:

BIOMOL-Molekylær biovitenskap og bioteknologi

Thematic Areas and Topics

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