I am Eveline Verhulst, Associate Professor at the Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University & Research, where I lead the research group inSEXdet on the molecular and evolutionary development of insects. My curiosity is driven by one of nature’s most fundamental questions: how does a single fertilised cell know whether to become male or female — and how has that decision evolved across hundreds of millions of years of insect diversity?
My research focuses on the molecular pathways underlying sex determination and sexual differentiation in parasitoid wasps, particularly the model species Nasonia vitripennis. Using tools ranging from RNA interference and CRISPR/Cas9 to high-throughput sequencing and protein-interaction assays, my team and I work to unravel how genes like doublesex (dsx) and transformer (tra) orchestrate the development of male- and female-specific traits — from wing shape and pigmentation to pheromone production and brain structure. We also investigate how endosymbionts such as Wolbachia hijack these very same pathways to manipulate reproduction for their own benefit.
Beyond fundamental discovery, my work has real-world relevance: understanding the molecular basis of sex determination opens doors to more effective biological pest control — for example by manipulating sex ratios in mass-reared parasitoid populations, or developing genetic sexing strains. I collaborate with colleagues in genetics, virology and biosystematics at WUR, as well as with international partners across Europe and the United States.
My sex determination research is supported by grants including an NWO Veni (2013), NWO Vidi (2018), NWO ENW-M2 (2021), NWO ENW-M1 (2023) and NWO VICI (2026). I teach in several BSc and MSc courses on molecular ecology, insect biology and bio-interactions, and I deeply enjoy inspiring the next generation of scientists with the wonders of insect diversity — from the university lecture hall to the primary school classroom.
Publications
J. Rougeot, F. Guerra, and E. C. Verhulst, “A transcriptional control model for doublesex-dependent sex differentiation in Nasonia wasps,” Feb. 03, 2025, bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2025.02.03.636189.
F. Guerra and E. C. Verhulst, “To each their own: the diversity of primary sex determination signals in insects,” Current Opinion in Insect Science, vol. 72, p. 101414, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101414.
F. Guerra, S. De Rouck, and E. C. Verhulst, “SYNCAS-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in the Jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis,” Insect Molecular Biology, vol. n/a, no. n/a, 2025, doi: 10.1111/imb.70002.
S. Sivaprakasham Murugesan, L. W. Beukeboom, E. C. Verhulst, and K. Leung, “Creating insect neopolyploid lines to study animal polyploid evolution,” Evolutionary Applications, vol. 17, no. 9, p. e13706, 2024, doi: 10.1111/eva.13706.
S. H. Donner et al., “Aphid populations are frequently infected with facultative endosymbionts,” Environmental Microbiology, vol. 26, no. 3, p. e16599, 2024, doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16599.
S. H. Donner et al., “Facultative endosymbionts of aphids on strawberry crops affect aphid-parasitoid interactions,” Biological Control, vol. 188, p. 105383, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2023.105383.
E. C. Verhulst, B. A. Pannebakker, and E. Geuverink, “Variation in sex determination mechanisms may constrain parthenogenesis-induction by endosymbionts in haplodiploid systems,” Current Opinion in Insect Science, vol. 56, p. 101023, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101023.
O. Netschitailo, Y. Wang, A. Wagner, V. Sommer, E. C. Verhulst, and M. Beye, “The function and evolution of a genetic switch controlling sexually dimorphic eye differentiation in honeybees,” Nat Commun, vol. 14, no. 1, Art. no. 1, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36153-4.
A. T. Williams, E. C. Verhulst, and A. Haverkamp, “A unique sense of smell: development and evolution of a sexually dimorphic antennal lobe – a review,” Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, vol. 170, no. 4, pp. 303–318, 2022, doi: 10.1111/eea.13145.
Y. Wang and E. C. Verhulst, “Evidence for an one-step mechanism of endosymbiont-induced thelytoky in the parasitoid wasp, Muscidifurax uniraptor,” Oct. 28, 2022, bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2022.10.27.514028.
Y. Wang, W. Sun, S. Fleischmann, J. G. Millar, J. Ruther, and E. C. Verhulst, “Silencing Doublesex expression triggers three-level pheromonal feminization in Nasonia vitripennis males,” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 289, no. 1967, p. 20212002, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2002.
Y. Wang et al., “Doublesex regulates male-specific differentiation during distinct developmental time windows in a parasitoid wasp,” Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 142, p. 103724, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103724.
M. M. Beekman et al., “Do aphids in Dutch sweet pepper greenhouses carry heritable elements that protect them against biocontrol parasitoids?,” Evolutionary Applications, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 1580–1593, 2022, doi: 10.1111/eva.13347.
X. Xiong et al., “Long-read assembly and annotation of the parasitoid wasp Muscidifurax raptorellus, a biological control agent for filth flies,” Frontiers in Genetics, vol. 12, 2021, Accessed: Apr. 08, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2021.748135
S. Visser, A. Voleníková, P. Nguyen, E. C. Verhulst, and F. Marec, “A conserved role of the duplicated Masculinize gene in sex determination of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella,” PLOS Genetics, vol. 17, no. 8, p. e1009420, Aug. 2021, doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009420.
J. Rougeot, Y. Wang, and E. C. Verhulst, “Effect of using green fluorescent protein double-stranded RNA as non-target negative control in Nasonia vitripennis RNA interference assays,” Experimental Results, vol. 2, 2021, doi: 10.1017/exp.2020.67.
K. B. Ferguson et al., “Jekyll or Hyde? The genome (and more) of Nesidiocoris tenuis, a zoophytophagous predatory bug that is both a biological control agent and a pest,” Insect Molecular Biology, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 188–209, 2021, doi: 10.1111/imb.12688.
Y. Zou, E. Geuverink, L. W. Beukeboom, E. C. Verhulst, and L. van de Zande, “A chimeric gene paternally instructs female sex determination in the haplodiploid wasp Nasonia,” Science, vol. 370, no. 6520, pp. 1115–1118, Nov. 2020, doi: 10.1126/science.abb8949.
K. Leung et al., “Next-generation biological control: the need for integrating genetics and genomics,” Biological Reviews, vol. 95, no. 6, pp. 1838–1854, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12641.
K. B. Ferguson et al., “Bracon brevicornis genome showcases the potential of linked-read sequencing in identifying a putative complementary sex determiner gene,” Genes, vol. 11, no. 12, Art. no. 12, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.3390/genes11121390.
K. B. Ferguson, T. Kursch-Metz, E. C. Verhulst, and B. A. Pannebakker, “Hybrid Genome Assembly and Evidence-Based Annotation of the Egg Parasitoid and Biological Control Agent Trichogramma brassicae,” G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1534/g3.120.401344.
A. Paspati, K. B. Ferguson, E. C. Verhulst, A. Urbaneja, J. González‐Cabrera, and B. A. Pannebakker, “Effect of mass rearing on the genetic diversity of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii,” Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, vol. 167, no. 7, pp. 670–681, 2019, doi: 10.1111/eea.12811.
E. Geuverink, E. C. Verhulst, M. van Leussen, L. van de Zande, and L. W. Beukeboom, “Maternal provision of non-sex-specific transformer messenger RNA in sex determination of the wasp Asobara tabida,” Insect Molecular Biology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 99–109, 2018, doi: 10.1111/imb.12352.
E. Geuverink, A. H. Rensink, I. Rondeel, L. W. Beukeboom, L. van de Zande, and E. C. Verhulst, “Maternal provision of transformer-2 is required for female development and embryo viability in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis,” Insect Biochem Mol Biol, vol. 90, pp. 23–33, Nov. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2017.09.007.
E. C. Verhulst, C. A. Mateman, M. V. Zwier, S. P. Caro, K. J. F. Verhoeven, and K. van Oers, “Evidence from Pyrosequencing Indicates that Natural Variation in Animal Personality is Associated with DRD4 DNA Methylation,” Molecular Ecology, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 1801–1811, Dec. 2015, doi: 10.1111/mec.13519.
E. C. Verhulst and L. van de Zande, “Double nexus—Doublesex is the connecting element in sex determination,” Briefings in Functional Genomics, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 396–406, Nov. 2015, doi: 10.1093/bfgp/elv005.
E. C. Verhulst and L. van de Zande, “Insect Sex Determination: A Cascade of Mechanisms,” Sexual Development, vol. 8, no. 1–3, pp. 5–6, 2014, doi: 10.1159/000358405.
L. van de Zande and E. C. Verhulst, “Genomic imprinting and maternal effect genes in haplodiploid sex determination,” Sexual Development, vol. 8, no. 1–3, pp. 74–82, 2014, doi: 10.1159/000357146.
E. C. Verhulst, J. A. Lynch, D. Bopp, L. W. Beukeboom, and L. van de Zande, “A new component of the Nasonia sex determining cascade Is maternally silenced and regulates transformer expression,” PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 5, p. e63618, May 2013, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063618.
M. V. Zwier, E. C. Verhulst, R. D. Zwahlen, L. W. Beukeboom, and L. van de Zande, “DNA methylation plays a crucial role during early Nasonia development,” Insect Molecular Biology, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 129–138, 2012, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01121.x.
V. K. Lloyd, J. A. Brisson, K. A. Fitzpatrick, L. A. McEachern, and E. C. Verhulst, “The Epigenetics of Emerging and Nonmodel Organisms,” Genetics Research International, vol. 2012, pp. 1–2, 2012, doi: 10.1155/2012/491204.
J. H. Werren et al., “Functional and evolutionary insights from the genomes of three parasitoid Nasonia species,” Science, vol. 327, no. 5963, pp. 343–348, Jan. 2010, doi: 10.1126/science.1178028.
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E. C. Verhulst, L. Van de Zande, and L. W. Beukeboom, “Insect sex determination: it all evolves around transformer,” Current Opinion in Genetics & Development, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 376–83, Aug. 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2010.05.001.
E. C. Verhulst, L. W. Beukeboom, and L. van de Zande, “Maternal control of haplodiploid sex determination in the wasp Nasonia,” Science, vol. 328, no. 5978, pp. 620–623, 2010, doi: 10.1126/science.1185805.
D. W. Loehlin et al., “Non-coding changes cause sex-specific wing size differences between closely related species of Nasonia.,” PLoS Genetics, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. e1000821–e1000821, Jan. 2010, doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000821.
D. C. S. G. Oliveira et al., “Identification and characterization of the doublesex gene of Nasonia,” Insect Molecular Biology, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 315–324, Jun. 2009, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2009.00874.x.