Aphid embryo development studies conducted by the Department of Entomology are honored again by academia. The study of the special expression of the hunchback gene is published as the cover of Insect Molecular Biology in 2020. This is exceptional because Insect Molecular Biology keeps the cover for the whole year, including 6 volumes of the journal. Since 2003, the establishment of the research group of Professor of Chun-Che Chang, Department of Entomology, has been honored as the journal cover story five times. Prof. Chang was surprised and refers to this as the “4+1 fortune.” Additionally, his publication was also promoted on the cover of Developmental Biology in 2002. He suggests that this number indicates that exploring development and disentangling the genome of rising model organisms are significantly valued by academic society. Because these atypical discoveries broaden and deepen our knowledge, revised conclusions are more accurate and meaningful.
The study conducted bythe Department of Entomology on the special expression of hunchback gene published as a cover study on Insect Molecular Biology in 2020
This hunchback gene study was published in Insect Molecular Biology in 2018 (Germline expression of the hunchback orthologues in the asexual viviparous aphids: a conserved feature within the Aphididae, Insect Mol. Biol. (2018) 27(6), 752–765). Why was Prof. Chang invited to be the cover story by the journal editor only after the end of 2019? According to Prof. Chang, there are two possible reasons:
1. Unprecedent exception: Although the hunchback gene expresses in early-stage embryos and neurons in insects, it exceptionally appears in reproductive cells of aphids and is consistently expressed through early, middle, and late stages. This expression is not yet found in other insects or arthropods.
2. Quality scientific figure: Identifying the location of gene expression is direct evidence used in determining a gene’s function in an embryo, so the quality of the scientific figures both affects the interpretation and reflects the quality of pretreatment. Thus, Prof. Chang’s team does not regret dedicating up to ten days to producing a photo of a single embryo.
Prof. Chang and his team cherish this unexpected honor and look forward to seeing the aphid studies increasingly emphasized by academic society. Besides shooting for more opportunities for cooperation, they also aim for mitigating aphid-related agricultural damages.