El objetivo general del proyecto es el desarrollo del uso de un formulado en base a ácidos nucleicos de DNA (oligos) de genes asociados a control de procesos biológicos asociados a citoesqueleto. El uso de estos formulados tiene un gran potencial debido a su baja residualidad y alta especificidad.

Proyecto se realiza en conjunto con la Universidad de O´higgins y la Universidad Católica liderado por la empresa APOL

El proyecto busca establecer a la tijereta como insecto modelo para estudios de oogénesis y caracterizar una vía de señalización celular fundamental en el tamaño de un órgano. Además de establecer técnicas de silenciamiento génico en este organismo.

Objetivo General:
Evaluar la presencia de pesticidas en tejidos vegetales y su potencial transferencia por ingesta de alimentos a jóvenes que habitan en la región de O’Higgins

The Notch pathway is an essential regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation during development. Its involvement in insect oogenesis has been examined in insect species with meroistic ovaries, and it is known to play a fundamental role in cell fate decisions and the induction of the mitosis-to-endocycle switch in follicular cells (FCs). This work reports the functions of the main components of the Notch pathway (Notch and its ligands Delta and Serrate) during oogenesis in
Blattella germanica
, a phylogenetically basal species with panoistic ovary. As is revealed by RNAi-based analyses, Notch and Delta were found to contribute towards maintaining the FCs in an immature, non-apoptotic state. This ancestral function of Notch appears in opposition to the induction of transition from mitosis to endocycle that Notch exerts in
Drosophila melanogaster,
a change in the Notch function that might be in agreement with the evolution of the insect ovary types. Notch was also shown to play an active role in inducing ovarian follicle elongation via the regulation of the cytoskeleton. In addition, Delta and Notch interactions were seen to determine the differentiation of the posterior population of FCs. Serrate levels were found to be Notch-dependent and are involved in the control of the FC programme, although they would appear to play no crucial role in panoistic ovary oogenesis.