The “AID Project”: Uncovering the Mysteries of Insect vasa Genes

The Chun-che Chang Lab just published an insightful paper in early December 2025. Through the AID (Aphid in Drosophila) Project, his group and collaborators uncovered novel roles of the duplicated vasa genes in aphids, which are serious agricultural pests. By expressing aphid genes in Drosophila melanogaster—one of the best-studied model organisms—the team revealed unexpected somatic functions of these duplicated aphid vasa genes, which had long been regarded as germline-specific in most insects. Chang believes that this study will shed new light on the evolutionary and developmental roles of insect germline genes.

The full article is published in the Royal Entomological Society’s journal Insect Molecular Biology:

https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imb.70020