Tanja Rehling (B. Sc.)

Office: TIG / 2.40

Tel.: +49 641/99-35903

tanja.rehling

Justus Liebig University Giessen

Institute for Insect Biotechnology

Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection

Winchester Str. 2

35394 Giessen

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

Current project:

Since April 2014, I have been a member of the research group led by Prof. Dr. Marc F. Schetelig. The group focuses on developing and evaluating transgenic insects, such as mosquitoes and fruit flies, for use in insect pest control programs. My responsibilities include developing project and experimental plans, the cultivation and maintenance of mosquito insect lines and insect cell culture lines, and the execution of germline transformations in Aedes, Drosophila, and Ceratitis through embryonic microinjections. I also conduct genetic crosses, screen for transgenic individuals, and carry out molecular sequence and integration analyses. My work involves cell culture techniques, and molecular biology techniques, like inverse PCR, qPCR, digital droplet PCR, cloning, and CRISPR-Cas9. I handle statistical evaluations, data analysis, and interpretation of results. In addition, I am responsible for coordination of laboratory workflows and procedures, equipment maintenance, and the training of students and new team members in laboratory methods and protocols. 

 

Professional experience:                       

I graduated in June 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. My bachelor’s project focused on the effect of the natural product Silvestrol on eIF4A-dependent translation mechanisms in insect cell lines. The research was conducted at the Institute for Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection at Justus Liebig University Giessen under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Marc F. Schetelig. 

From February 2011 to April 2014, I worked as a technical assistant on the SFB/Transregio project „Materials for Tissue Regeneration in Systemically Diseased Bones” in the Laboratory of Experimental Trauma Surgery at Justus Liebig University, Giessen. The project focused on developing suitable animal models and testing newly developed biomaterials. My responsibilities included animal surgeries and euthanasia, collecting tissue and bone samples, sectioning, and conducting histological, immunohistochemical, and enzyme staining as well as histomorphometric evaluations. Additionally, I developed and validated PCR and qPCR assays for gene expression analysis of markers related to bone formation and resorption. A significant part of my work involved evaluating results for publication. 

From August 1987 to February 2011, I worked as a technical assistant in clinical and physiological research at the Max Planck Society, Clinical Research Unit for Blood Coagulation in Giessen, and the Max Planck Institute for Clinical and Physiological Research in Bad Nauheim. My work involved cloning plasmids, performing transformation and transfection, expressing genes in cell lines, and evaluating recombinant coagulation factors. I was also responsible for purifying and characterizing proteins from plasma, preparing monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, screening patients for genetic defects associated with thrombophilia, and conducting clinical diagnostics in the central laboratory of the Kerckhoff Clinic. 

 

Publications

Aumann RA, Gouvi G, Grigoriou M-E, Rehling T, Sollazzo G, Bourtzis K, Schetelig MF (2025) Decoding and engineering temperature-sensitive lethality in Ceratitis capitata for pest control. PNAS, 122(28): e2503604122

Figueiredo Prates LH, Aumann RA, Sievers I, Rehling T, Schetelig MF (2025) Functional validation of a white pupae gene construct in Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Insect Science https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70058

Prates LHF, Fiebig J, Schlosser H, Liapi E, Rehling T, Lutrat C, Bouyer J, Sun Q, Wen H, Xi Z, Schetelig MF, Häcker I (2024) Challenges of robust RNAi-mediated gene silencing in Aedes Mosquitoes. International Journal of Molecular Sciences; 25(10):5218. 

Häcker I, Rehling T, Schlosser H, Mayorga-Ch D, Heilig M, Yan Y, Armbruster PA, Schetelig MF (2023). Improved piggyBac transformation with capped transposase mRNA in Pest Insects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences; 24(20):15155.

Yan Y, Hosseini B, Scheld A, Pasham S, Rehling T, Schetelig MF (2023). Effects of antiviotics on the in vitro expression of tetracycline-off constructs and the performance of Drosophila suzukii female-killing strains. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 14:11:876492.

Häcker I, Koller R, Eichner G, Martin J, Liapi E, Rühl J, Rehling T, Schetelig MF (2020). Evaluation of Hydrogen Peroxide Fumigation and Heat Treatment for Standard Emergency Arthropod Inactivation in BSL-3 Insectaries. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 16;8:602937.

Ramírez-Santos E, Rendón P, Bourtzis K, Schetelig MF, Cáceres C, Targovska A, Rehling T, Guillén K, Ruiz-Montoya L, Toledo J, Liedo P (2018). Generational interaction of a transgenic Ceratitis capitata (Tephritidae) strain and the parasitoid, Fopius ceratitivorus (Braconidae), as a model to assess the risk of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes. PLoS One 13(12): e0207999 

Thormann U, Ray S, Sommer U, El Khassawna T, Rehling T, Hundgeburth M, Henß A, Rohnke M, Janek J, Lips KS, Heiss C, Schlewitz G, Szalay G, Schumacher M, Gelinsky M, Schnettler R, Alt V (2013). Bone formation induced by strontium modified calcium phosphate cement in critical-size metaphyseal fracture defects in ovariectomized rats. Biomaterials 34(34): 8589–8598.