Laboratory of Insect Physiology
We investigate a humoral control of important physiological and biochemical processes in the insect body, such as anti-stress reactions induced by various stressors as insecticides, pathogens, and natural toxins, and which maintains metabolism homeostasis. Among the controlling factors, we focus on the function of adipokinetic hormones and biogenic amines. For this research we use a wide choice of classical and advanced physiological, biochemical and molecular biology methods. They include chromatographic techniques (HPLC), electrophoretic methods, immunomethods (ELISA and Western blotting), metabolic and physiological methods (oxide consumption and carbon dioxide production, monitoring of locomotion), basic methods of molecular biology (RNAi, PCR, q-RT-PCR), microscopic techniques (electron and confocal microscope) and a number of various biochemical assays using spectrophotometric determinations (enzyme reactions, oxidative stress, determination of metabolites, etc.). As the main model insect species we use the firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus, honeybee Apis mellifera and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and to a lesser extent also the American cockroach Periplaneta americana and migratory locust Locusta migratoria.
Research projects
Utilization of Insect Models for the Study of Natural Xenobiotics
The aim of this project is to investigate the effects of natural toxins and complex venoms, including the venom of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the parasitoid wasp Habrobracon hebetor, as well as simpler toxins such as tetanospasmin produced by Clostridium tetani, botulinum toxin from Clostridium botulinum, and α-bungarotoxin from the snake Bungarus multicinctus. The following insect models are used for experiments: the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), the firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus), and the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). The primary focus is on the impact of these xenobiotics on the nervous, muscular, and endocrine systems. In addition to the direct physiological response to the administered compounds, interactions and potential modulatory effects of adipokinetic hormone (AKH) are also studied. AKH is a key stress neurohormone in insects and a functional analogue of mammalian glucagon. The ultimate goal of the study is the potential translation of these findings into veterinary practice or human medicine.
PI: Jan Černý
Stress physiology of honey bees
The project focuses on the physiological processes that occur in bees when defensive anti-stress responses are triggered following intoxication with synthetic or natural toxins. The project concentrates on the investigation of vibroacoustic signals, their artificial intelligence-based analysis, and the correlation between these signals and biochemical traits like the level of nutrients, the activity of digestive enzymes, the level of oxidative stress, the composition of bee venom components, the level of stress hormones, the amount of vitellogenin in the haemolymph, and the amount of biogenic amines in the body of bees. The project's goal is to understand the physiological and pathological phenomena that occur in the bee's body during stressful situations and, if necessary, to apply them in practical beekeeping.
PI: Dalibor Kodrík
Function of bee venom toxins
The project focuses on the individual components that make up bee venom, especially melittin and phospholipase A2, which are the most abundant elements of the venom and the main contributors to pain and allergic reactions brought on by bee stings. They have also demonstrated in vivo anti-bacterial, anti-tumour, and anti-inflammatory activity. The ratio of representation of individual components in the venom and environmental influences, such as exposure to toxic substances in the form of insecticides or stress brought on by the presence of predators or pathogens in the bee colony, are investigated using molecular methods (primarily RT-PCR). Additionally, it is being researched whether the bee organism can use the venom's components for its own defence during an infection immune response or as an anti-stress reaction when the organism's integrity is compromised.
PI: Markéta Hejníková
