An in situ hybridization protocol for the stick insect Carausius morosus

One of the most exciting insect groups are the Phasmatodea, or so called walking stick insects. They show a very diverse variety in form and have evolved amazing adaptations of camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. Moreover, stick insects are considered ancestral in the group of insects and as such very attractive for evolutionary and comparative studies.

During my diploma thesis I set out to establish an in situ hybridization protocol for the stick insect Carausius morosus. The work can be found here (unfortunately it is only in german): Diploma thesis Claudia Jasmin Rödel (german)

Here an english version of the in situ protocol: in situ – Carausius morosus

During my diploma work, I isolated (among others) fragments of the Carausius engrailed and Antennapedia homologues. Here some examples of expression patterns, visualized with the in situ protocol.

Carausius engrailed:

Carausius Antennapedia:

 

 

This work was done in the Wimmer lab in Göttingen, Germany.