title: The iBeetle large-scale RNAi screen reveals gene functions for insect development and physiology.
abstract: Genetic screens are powerful tools to identify the genes required for a given biological process. However, for technical reasons, comprehensive screens have been restricted to very few model organisms. Therefore, although deep sequencing is revealing the genes of ever more insect species, the functional studies predominantly focus on candidate genes previously identified in Drosophila, which is biasing research towards conserved gene functions. RNAi screens in other organisms promise to reduce this bias. Here we present the results of the iBeetle screen, a large-scale, unbiased RNAi screen in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, which identifies gene functions in embryonic and postembryonic development, physiology and cell biology. The utility of Tribolium as a screening platform is demonstrated by the identification of genes involved in insect epithelial adhesion. This work transcends the restrictions of the candidate gene approach and opens fields of research not accessible in Drosophila.
authors.affiliation: 1] Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany [2] Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmitt-Engel
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schultheis
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwirz
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ströhlein
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Troelenberg
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Upalparna
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.affiliation: Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Van Anh
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Dao
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grossmann
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Bioinformatik, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tech
authors.affiliation: 1] Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany [2] Abteilung Bioinformatik, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany [3] Abteilung für Bioinformatik, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dönitz
authors.affiliation: Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst Moritz Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Lizzy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gerischer
authors.affiliation: 1] TU Dresden, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Medical Systems Biology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany [2] Eupheria Biotech GmbH, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theis
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trauner
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolaus D B
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Koniszewski
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Küster
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kittelmann
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Janna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Siemanowski
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.affiliation: Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Kristen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Panfilio
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Genetik, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einsteinstr. 3, 18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Bioinformatik, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.affiliation: Institut für Mathematik und Informatik, Ernst Moritz Arndt Universität Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 47, 17487 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanke
authors.affiliation: TU Dresden, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Medical Systems Biology, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buchhholz
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.identifier: 0000000313739798
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frasch
authors.affiliation: Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ernst A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wimmer
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schoppmeier
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Entwicklungsbiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klingler
authors.affiliation: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut, GZMB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.identifier: 0000000246156401
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bucher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological / Q000235:genetics*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D011679:Pupa / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D014231:Tribolium / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins