Het ophelderen van de biologische rol van AKH in postembryonale ontwikkeling en voortplanting bij sprinkhanen

The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, is a well-known swarming pest species that can be found in dense groups of millions of adult locusts/km², causing extreme damage to food production and related economic burden in large parts of Africa, the Near East and southwest Asia. Unfortunately, the preferred method to combat this pest insect is still the atomization of neurotoxic insecticides with limited selectivity, which can cause environmental side effects. Therefore, I will aim to identify new targets for the development of more locust specific insecticides. In order to so, I would like to thoroughly investigate the role(s) of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) in postembryonic development and reproduction of locusts. Preliminary research has shown that silencing of this neurohormone has a noticeable and promising impact on these processes (unpublished data). However, the exact mechanism of action is still poorly understood. During my doctoral program, I will first aim the affected pathways and their crucial regulators, which will be, together with AKH, further investigated for their potential use as new targets for insect pest control.