Can the mammalian organoid technology be applied to the insect gut?

Abstract

Mammalian intestinal organoids are multicellular structures that closely resemble the structure of the intestinal epithelium and can be generated in vitro from intestinal stem cells under appropriate culture conditions. This technology has transformed pharmaceutical research and drug development in human medicine. For the insect gut, no biotechnological platform equivalent to organoid cultures has been described yet. Comparison of the regulation of intestinal homeostasis and growth between insects and mammals has revealed significant similarities but also important differences. In contrast to mammals, the differentiation potential of available insect cell lines is limited and can not be exploited for in vitro permeability assays to measure the uptake of insecticides. The successful development of in vitro models could be a result of the emergence of molecular mechanisms of self-organization and signaling in the intestine that are unique to mammals. It is nevertheless considered that the technology gap is a consequence of vast differences in knowledge, particularly with respect to culture conditions that maintain the differentation potential of insect midgut cells. From the viewpoint of pest control, advanced in vitro models of the insect midgut would be very desirable because of its key barrier function for orally ingested insecticides with hemolymphatic target and its role in insecticide resistance.

Immunosuppressive, antimicrobial and insecticidal activities of inhibitor cystine knot peptides produced by teratocytes of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

“…Larval lepidopterans are sensitive to midgut disruption (Swevers et al. , 2021) and plant‐derived cyclotides, circular peptides stabilized by disulfide bridges similar to ICK peptides, were previously correlated with insect mortality through disruption of midgut cells (Barbeta et al. , 2008).…”

Metabolization and sequestration of plant specialized metabolites in insect herbivores: Current and emerging approaches

“…Given the limited knowledge available of insect organogenesis mechanisms, preparing insect-derived organoids may be still challenging. Yet, developing spheroids and/or organoids from insect cells would be a corner stone in advancing the fields of plant-herbivore interactions and pest management ( Swevers et al, 2021 ).…”

Functional characterization of putative ecdysone transporters in lepidopteran pests

“…It must be considered that although the HzAW1 cell line is derived from the midgut tissue of H. zea [59], a substantial de-differentiation may have occurred [60], preventing the straightforward transfer of knowledge from in vitro to in vivo. Nevertheless, the role of OATP74D in the ecdysone pathway could still be resolved, given that regulatory genes of the pathway are expressed in these cells under physiological conditions [46].…”