BARD workshop: “Insect reproductive molecules: From model systems to agricultural applications”

Abstract

SUMMARY Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 816–820, 2012. 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Received 26 October 2012; Accepted 29 October 2012* Corresponding author:Department of EntomologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA.E-mail: elnino@psu.eduPublishedonline28November2012inWileyOnlineLibrary(wileyonlinelibrary.com).DOI 10.1002/mrd.22133 On January 9–13, 2012, The Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem hosted the workshop ‘‘Insect Repro-ductive Molecules: From Model Systems to AgriculturalApplications’’, supported by funding from the US/IsraelBinational Research and Development Fund (BARD) andTheHebrewUniversity.Thegoalofthemeetingwastobringtogether an array of international researchers studying avariety of molecules that act as potent mediators of insectreproduction. Motivations for studying these molecules arewide-ranging.Fundamental(‘‘basic’’)questionsincludetheuse of model organisms to identify reproductive moleculesand to determine how they function and how they evolved.Applied research uses these molecules to develop moreeffectivemanagementtechniquesforagriculturalpestsandinsect vectors of diseases. Here, we highlight some of theexciting research, both basic and applied, that were pre-sented at the workshop (for more information please visitthe conference website: http://www.agri.huji.ac.il/irmconf/index.html).Many talks at the meeting focused on the Drosophilaseminal fluid protein, sex peptide (SP). SP is perhaps thebest-characterized insect seminal protein, and it elicitsdramatic behavioral and physiological changes in females.These changes include an increase in egg production, areduction in receptivity to subsequent courtship by othermales, and changes in feeding behavior and immune