Magdalena Kaniewska

Title: Seasonal clocks in linden bugs

Host Institution: BCAS České Budějovice
Supervisor: Dr David Dolezel
Contact: TBC
Start date: 1st october 2018
Secondment: Jagiellonian University for 4 months for neuroanatomy and gene expression studies.

 

Objectives: To discover which hormones affect photoperiodically-induced reproductive (diapause) and related behaviours (such as copulation, inter-male aggression, dispersal and migratory behaviour), where these neuropeptides are expressed in the brain and does photoperiod influence the timing of these sex-related behaviours? Using a candidate gene approach, neuropeptide genes will be studied in terms of temporal and spatial expression at different photoperiods, and candidates will be knocked out using CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis or RNAi and the effects on diapause and associated reproductive behaviours will be examined. Application of synthetic peptides will clarify the roles of the candidate neurohormones.

About me: I am 24 years old and I am from Warsaw, Poland. During my bachelor degree my curiosity and great people led me to the subject of chronobiology, which I was further expanding on in my Master programme in Molecular Biology at the University of Warsaw. I was very lucky to obtain an internship stipend to study in Ceske Budejovice for a semester. During my studies, I was hoping that in the future I will be able to travel and learn from great minds. This is what attracted me to CINCHRON – exchange of knowledge and experiences with smart people around the world. I am very interested in my job so I am determined to provide some contribution in this field of science. I am trying my best to constantly improve myself, and I feel that CINCHRON is the best opportunity that a young scientists can dream of. Apart from biology, I enjoy cooking, reading books, watching tv series and occasionally playing various computer games.