The study of invertebrate neuropeptides.

This project focuses on the study of the neuropeptiderg system in invertebrates, including the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster (holometabolous insect), the locusts Locusta migratoria en Schistocerca gregaria (heterometabolous insects) and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In 2001, we introduced peptidomics or the study of all endogenous peptides expressed in a cell, tissue or organism. We successfully applied these techniques to identify the peptidome of several model organisms. Based on the latest developments in mass spectrometry and software and the growing number of genome projects, we continuously try to further optimize our methodology and explore novel applications. Besides the identification of (novel) neuropeptides, we focus on their functional characterization. Therefore, we make use of genetic tools, like the knock-down of neuropeptiden genes using targeted RNAi.

Keywords:Locusts, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Invertebrates, RNAi, Proteomics, Peptidomics

Disciplines:Animal biology, Genetics