Back from Kolymbari, and had such an amazing time with an incredible community of lepidopterists #lepgencrete. Great to get the opportunity to talk about what we're up to with @gmrc.bsky.social and spread the word about the #galleriamellonella infection model. Can't wait for #lepgen13 in 2028!
**Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase disruption by CRISPR/Cas9 in Spodoptera exigua: phenotype, microbial diversity, and fitness costs**
Daniel Pinos, Universitat de Valencia
#lepgencrete
Focus on plant-insect-pathogen interactions. Some bacteria produce important/required compounds for host.
**Evolution and diversification of mimicry and masquerade in butterflies**
Wei Zhang, Peking University, China
#lepgencrete
Focus on mimicry, either mimicking other similar species (e.g. batesian; mullerian) or mimicry of environment for crypsis.
Egg cooling after oviposition extends the permissive period for microinjection-mediated genome modification in Bombyx mori
Keiro Uchino National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan
#lepgencrete
Typically injection must be done <8h after oviposition for successful transgenesis.
**Evolving Patterns: An Evo-Devo Exploration of Butterfly Wing elements**
Anyi Mazo-Vargas, Duke University, North Carolina, USA
#lepgencrete
Nymphalid "ground plan" first proposed ~100 years ago. Demonstrates some spp obviousy follow this basic plan, but others are much more divergent.
**The genetic mechanisms of leaf masquerade mimicry in Kallima butterflies**
Dequn Teng (Wei Zhang lab, Peking University, China)
#lepgencrete
Butterfly wing patterns are excellent model for understanding phenotypic diversification.
Midweek at #lepgencrete conference we take a half-day excursion. This time we went to the beach, and had dinner at a hillside taverna.
**Characterizing the olfactory system of Spodoptera exigua larvae**
Daniel Pinos, Universitat de Valencia #lepgencrete
beet armywrom is polyphagous agricultural pest, used as model for olfaction and entomopathogens, and their interactions.
**The developmental origin and regulation of a complex repeated trait: eyespots on the wings of Lepidoptera**
Antónia Monteiro, National U of Singapore
#lepgencrete
Eyespots appear in numerous different Lep species, and on different positions: Discal vs Marginal.
Excited to share my work at the 12th International Workshop on Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Lepidoptera in Crete!
Through population genomics, I uncover a hidden lag phase that preceded the global invasion of a major moth pest.
#Lepidoptera #lepgencrete #DGIMI
A view of ongoing sessions at #lepgencrete conference. Comfy chairs and spaces for lap tops for note taking.
**The Most Genetically Diverse Butterfly in the New World Junonia: Unveiling the Haplotype Complexity of Junonia vestina**
Nataliia Kopchak, U of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
#lepgencrete
Junonia butterflies share 3 common mito haplotypes across N & S America
Presented at the 12th Lepidoptera Workshop in Crete:
"A Characterization of piRNAs, their biogenesis and their targets in Spodoptera frugiperda" 🦋
#Lepgencrete #DGIMI
View from the conference center and lodging at #lepgencrete conference. A post-lunch swim is often enjoyed before afternoon sessions!
The building faces the sea, and is <100 meters from a small gravel beach.
Excellent food at every meal, too! It is a remarkable conference venue…
A molecular toolkit to study host immune response in the in vivo infection model Galleria mellonella
James C. Pearce, U of Exeter, UK
#lepgencrete
G. mellonella is a "wax moth", parasites in honey bee hives, but model for mammal infections.
**Advancing Genetic Tools for Butterfly Research: Overcoming Challenges in Transgenesis and Fluorescent Tracking**
Donya N. Shodja, George Washington U, Washington DC, from @evolvwing.bsky.social lab. #lepgencrete
Motivation: Want to understand rapid evolution of phenotype (e.g. male genitalia).
**Molecular breeding of silkworm strains for better silk and resistant to NPV virus**
Yongping Huang, Shanghai Institute of Plant Phys and Ecology & Shanghai Jiao Tong University #lepgencrete
Silk production major industry in China; produces 600,000 tons of cocoons per year, worth $50billion.
Great talk by PhD student Hyerin An at the 12th International Workshop on Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Lepidoptera.
Congratulations!
#Lepgencrete #DGIMI
**Evolution of segregation and genome organization**
Ines Drinnenberg, Institut Curie, Paris #lepgencrete
Focus on holocentromeres, found in leps, with centromeres form along length of entire chromosomes. Have evolved repeatedly in diverse in plants & animals.
**Intersexes caused by deviations in the Z:A ratio in the eri silk-moth, Samia cynthia ricini**
Atsuo Yoshido #lepgencrete
Samia cyntia ricini females areZ0; no W chromosome. Induced polyploidy used to manipulate Z:A ratios.
The origin of zygosity-based sex determination
Arjen Van’t Hof #lepgencrete
Bicyclus anynana has ZW and ZO females. Unlike in silkworm (with fem piRNA), W is not needed for sex determination. sex determination depends on heterozygosity of Masc gene in males.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
**Genome Structure Evolution in Ithomiini Butterflies**
Karin Näsvall, Wellcome Sanger Institute #lepgencrete
Ithomiini "glasswing" butterflies: 45 genera, >400 species. Variable speciation rates across phylogeny, Chromosome numbers 5-120, mode ~14.
**Sex chrom evolution in the Heliconius sapho clade**
Nicol Rueda, Wellcome Sanger Institute #lepgencrete
Heliconius butterflies typically have 21 chroms. In H. sapho clade, 3 species w/ 33-60 chromosomes. This includes several sequential & independent W-autosome fusions.
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
*Rapid chromosome evolution in butterflies and the potential of Project Psyche for lepidopteran genomics*
Charlotte Wright, Wellcome Sanger Institute #lepgencrete
Holocentric chroms thought to facilitate rapid karyotype rearrangement. But analysis of >100 genomes shows primarily conservation.
We are just starting sessions at the 2025 Workshop on Lepidopteran genetics in Kolymbari, Crete, Greece. During the week, researchers from around the world (Europe, Americas, China & Japan, etc) present research on moths and butterflies.
events.gwdg.de/event/880/
#lepgencrete
