Invertebrates can be primed to enhance their protection against pathogens they have encountered before. This enhanced immunity can be passed maternally or paternally to the offspring and is known as transgenerational immune priming. We challenged larvae of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum by feeding them on diets supplemented with Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus or Pseudomonas entomophila, thus mimicking natural exposure to pathogens. The oral uptake of bacteria induced immunity-related genes in the offspring, but did not affect the methylation status of the egg DNA. However, we observed the translocation of bacteria or bacterial fragments from the gut to the developing eggs via the female reproductive system. Such translocating microbial elicitors are postulated to trigger bacterial strain-specific immune responses in the offspring and provide an alternative mechanistic explanation for maternal transgenerational immune priming in coleopteran insects.

Pharmaceuticals are not currently tested for transgenerational and epigenetic side effects. The use of vertebrates as preclinical research models is limited by their long generation times, low numbers of progeny and ethical concerns. In contrast, invertebrates such as insects breed rapidly, produce many offspring and are more ethically acceptable, allowing them to be used for high-throughput screening. Here, we established Tribolium castaneum as a model to screen for the effect of drugs on complex fitness parameters and the expression of epigenetic regulatory genes. We tested diets supplemented with the psychoactive drug valproic acid (VPA), which is a histone deacetylase inhibitor, or the antioxidant curcumin, which is a histone acetyltransferase inhibitor. We found that VPA delayed development, reduced longevity, and increased female body weight compared to a control diet. Fertility and fecundity declined and the expression of epigenetic regulatory genes was induced in the untreated F1 generation. In contrast, curcumin did not affect development or body weight, but it increased longevity, caused a significant reduction in fertility, and induced the expression of epigenetic regulatory genes mostly in the treated F0 generation. VPA and curcumin administered to vertebrate models have similar effects to those we observed in T. castaneum, confirming that this beetle is potentially useful as an alternative model to screen for the epigenetic effect of drugs. T. castaneum also provides a valuable early warning system for transgenerational epigenetic risk factors that are difficult to detect in mammals.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising alternative strategy for ecologically friendly pest management. However, the identification of RNAi candidate genes is challenging owing to the absence of laboratory strains and the seasonality of most pest species. Tribolium castaneum is a well-established model, with a strong and robust RNAi response, which can be used as a high-throughput screening platform to identify potential RNAi target genes. Recently, the cactus gene was identified as a sensitive RNAi target for pest control. To explore whether the spectrum of promising RNAi targets can be expanded beyond those found by random large-scale screening, to encompass others identified using targeted knowledge-based approaches, we constructed a Cactus interaction network. We tested nine genes in this network and found that the delivery of double-stranded RNA corresponding to fusilli and cactin showed lethal effects. The silencing of cactin resulted in 100% lethality at every developmental stage from the larva to the adult. The knockdown of pelle, Dorsal-related immunity factor and short gastrulation reduced or even prevented egg hatching in the next generation. The combination of such targets with lethal and parental RNAi effects can now be tested against different pest species in field studies.

Coleopteran insects are a highly diverse and successful order, and many beetle species are significant agricultural pests. New biorational strategies for managing populations of beetles and other insect species are needed as pests develop resistance to chemical insecticides and Bt toxins. There is now an opportunity to use genome sequence data to identify genes that are essential for insect growth, development, or survival as new targets for designing control technology. This goal requires a method for high-throughput in vivo screening of thousands of genes to identify candidate genes that, when their expression is disrupted, have a phenotype that may be useful in insect pest control. Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle, is a model organism that offers considerable advantages for such screening, including ease of rearing in large numbers, a sequenced genome, and a strong, systemic RNAi response for specific depletion of gene transcripts. The RNAi effect in T. castaneum can be elicited in any tissue and any stage by the injection of dsRNA into the hemocoel, and injection of dsRNA into adult females can even be used to identify phenotypes in offspring. A pilot RNAi screen (iBeetle) is underway. Several T. castaneum genes with promising RNAi phenotypes for further development as mechanisms for plant protection have been identified. These include heat shock protein 90, chitin synthase, the segmentation gene hairy, and a matrix metalloprotease. Candidate genes identified in T. castaneum screens can then be tested in agricultural pest species (in which screening is not feasible), to evaluate their effectiveness for use in potential plant-based RNAi control strategies. Delivery of dsRNA expressed by genetically modified crops to the midgut of phytophagous insects is under investigation as a new tool for very specific protection of plants from insect pest species. The T. castaneum screening platform offers a system for discovery of candidate genes with high potential benefit.