Beetles as Model Organisms in Physiological, Biomedical and Environmental Studies – A Review

Abstract

Model organisms are often used in biological, medical and environmental research. Among insects, Drosophila melanogaster, Galleria mellonella, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori, Periplaneta americana , and Locusta migratoria are often used. However, new model organisms still appear. In recent years, an increasing number of insect species has been suggested as model organisms in life sciences research due to their worldwide distribution and environmental significance, the possibility of extrapolating research studies to vertebrates and the relatively low cost of rearing. Beetles are the largest insect order, with their representative – Tribolium castaneum – being the first species with a completely sequenced genome, and seem to be emerging as new potential candidates for model organisms in various studies. Apart from T. castaneum , additional species representing various Coleoptera families, such as Nicrophorus vespilloides, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Coccinella septempunctata, Poecilus cupreus, Tenebrio molitor and many others, have been used. They are increasingly often included in two major research aspects: biomedical and environmental studies. Biomedical studies focus mainly on unraveling mechanisms of basic life processes, such as feeding, neurotransmission or activity of the immune system, as well as on elucidating the mechanism of different diseases (neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic, or immunological) using beetles as models. Furthermore, pharmacological bioassays for testing novel biologically active substances in beetles have also been developed. It should be emphasized that beetles are a source of compounds with potential antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Environmental-based studies focus mainly on the development and testing of new potential pesticides of both chemical and natural origin. Additionally, beetles are used as food or for their valuable supplements. Different beetle families are also used as bioindicators. Another important research area using beetles as models is behavioral ecology studies, for instance, parental care. In this paper, we review the current knowledge regarding beetles as model organisms and their practical application in various fields of life science.

CenH3 distribution reveals extended centromeres in the model beetle Tribolium castaneum

“…Due to easy rearing, plentiful offspring, relatively short life cycle, lots of mutants, and availability and proliferation of tools for its genetic analysis and manipulation, T . castaneum has been used in laboratory research for nearly 50 years, what makes it the most studied insect model system after Drosophila [ 21 , 22 ]. T .…”

Thermal stress causes DNA damage and mortality in a tropical insect

“…In humans and other vertebrates, in vivo studies commonly use lymphocytes as the main target cells for measuring DNA damage because it is a non-invasive method (Azqueta and Collins, 2013;de Lapuente et al, 2015;Odongo et al, 2019). Invertebrates have hemocytes in the hemolymph that have the same role as lymphocytes and can be used to assess DNA damage in cells (Adamski et al, 2019;Augustyniak et al, 2016;de Lapuente et al, 2015;Gaivao and Sierra, 2014). Gromphadorinha coquereliana is a rather large insect that possesses a high number of circulating hemocytes.…”

Role of the Insect Neuroendocrine System in the Response to Cold Stress

“…The nervous and endocrine systems, through the process called neuroendocrine integration, interplay together to regulate a number of physiological functions and maintain system-wide homeostasis in regular as well as stressful situations (Hartenstein, 2006;Adamski et al, 2019). A number of physiological processes are mediated by two main classes of neurosecretory molecules i.e., neuropeptides and biogenic amines (Hartenstein, 2006;Chowanski et al, 2016Chowanski et al, , 2017a.…”