Janine Mariën

Curriculum Vitae & Publications

Research interests

I’m one of the technicians of Animal Ecology. My educational background is in Zoology and I specialized in Molecular Biology. I participate in many of the department’s research projects (of staff members, PhD’s and students), in which molecular techniques are involved. I think high quality laboratory practice is fundamental to all experimental molecular work. I enthusiastically like to teach you the wonderful and useful molecular tools we apply in our laboratory. And of course I’m almost as curious as you about the results.

Selected publications

Waagner, D., M. Bayley, J. Mariën, M. Holmstrup, J. Ellers and D. Roelofs (2012). Ecological and molecular consequences of prolonged drought and subsequent rehydration in Folsomia candida (Collembola). Journal of Insect Physiology, 58: 130-137.

Janssens, T.K.S., J. Mariën, N.M. van Straalen, C.A.M. van Gestel and D. Roelofs (2011). Narcotic mechanisms of acute toxicity of chlorinated anilines in Folsomia candida (Collembola) revealed by gene expression analysis. Environment International, 37: 929-939.

Bahrndorff, S., J. Mariën, V. Loeschcke and J. Ellers (2010). Genetic variation in heat resistance and HSP70 expression in inbred isofemale lines of the springtail Orchesella cincta. Climate Research, 43: 41-47.

Janssens, T.K.S., S. Staaden, S. Scheu, J. Mariën, B. Ylstra and D. Roelofs (2010). Transcriptional responses of Folsomia candida upon exposure to Aspergillus nidulans secondary metabolites in single and mixed diets. Pedobiologia, 54: 45-52.

Bahrndorff, S., J. Mariën, V. Loeschcke and J. Ellers (2009). Dynamics of heat-induced thermal stress resistance and Hsp70 expression in the springtail, Orchesella cincta. Functional Ecology, 23: 233-239.

De Boer, M.E., T.E. de Boer, J. Marien, M.J.T.N. Timmermans, B. Nota, N.M. van Straalen, J. Ellers and D. Roelofs (2009). Reference genes for QRT-PCR tested under various stress conditions in Folsomia candida and Orchesella cincta (Insecta, Collembola). BMC Molecular Biology, 10: 54.

Research project

As I am involved in many research projects, I give a short overview of the molecular techniques we use in our molecular laboratory.
The basis is DNA and RNA isolation. We prepare samples of all kind of organisms (from the leopard Panthera pardus to the springtail Orchesella cincta to the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices) and for all kind of “downstream” applications, from routine PCR to micro-array hybridizations and next-generation sequencing.
We use PCR to amplify and sequence fragments of genes or molecular markers (such as microsatellites) for population- or phylogenetic studies. We also study the functioning of genes involved in (among others) metal tolerance and lipid- and carbohydrate metabolic pathways, using expression vector systems and cloning techniques. Some research projects concern comparisons between expression patterns of many genes, for example after exposure to toxicants or other stress factors. For that we use micro-arrays and Q-PCR.



Participants:  Dick Roelofs, Jacintha Ellers, Matty Berg