PhD student
Oksana Netschitailo
Institut für Bienenkunde,
Polytechnische Gesellschaft
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main,
FB Biowissenschaften
Ebertstraße 39
61440 Oberursel
| Tel. |
+49-(0)69 798-21282 |
| E-Mail |
netschitailo {at} bio.uni-frankfurt.de |
Research interest
Research interest
The honeybee’s way of life is characterized by a strict division of labor. The queen and males are responsible for reproduction, while the workers build the hive, protect the colony, and provide food for all its inhabitants. To fulfill these roles to their best, adaptations have evolved that distinguish queens from workers; these adaptations manifest during development from egg to adult and are initiated by the diet during the larval stage. I am fascinated by this phenotypic plasticity during development and its genetic basis.
In my research, I investigate the development of the honeybee from embryo to adult using modern molecular and microscopic methods, with a focus on caste differentiation and neural specialization. An important aspect is how development is influenced by external environmental factors, such as components in larval food. I am investigating the underlying mechanisms within the organism that translate these environmental signals into a developmental program.
Selected publications
Netschitailo O, Siefert P, Middeke MM, et al. Long-term fluorescence live imaging of honeybee embryos using light sheet fluorescence microscopy and halocarbon-based liquids. Biol Open. 2025;14(9):bio062151. doi:10.1242/bio.062151
Netschitailo O, Wang Y, Wagner A, Sommer V, Verhulst EC, Beye M. The function and evolution of a genetic switch controlling sexually dimorphic eye differentiation in honeybees. Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):463. Published 2023 Jan 28. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36153-4
Netschitailo O, Raub S, Kaftanoglu O, Beye M. Sexual diversification of splicing regulation during embryonic development in honeybees (Apis mellifera), A haplodiploid system. Insect Mol Biol. 2022;31(2):170-176. doi:10.1111/imb.12748
