Adamski Zbigniew, Bufo Sabino A, Chowański Szymon, Falabella Patrizia, Lubawy Jan, Marciniak Paweł, Pacholska-Bogalska Joanna, Salvia Rosanna, Scrano Laura, Słocińska Małgorzata, Spochacz Marta, Szymczak Monika, Urbański Arkadiusz, Walkowiak-Nowicka Karolina, Rosiński Grzegorz
Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland.
Laboratory of Electron and Confocal Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland.
Front Physiol. 2019 Mar 28;10:319. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00319. eCollection 2019.
Model organisms are often used in biological, medical and environmental research. Among insects, , and 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 - - 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 , additional species representing various Coleoptera families, such as 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.
模式生物常用于生物学、医学和环境研究。在昆虫中，果蝇、家蚕等常被使用。然而，新的模式生物仍在不断出现。近年来，由于其全球分布和环境意义、将研究成果外推至脊椎动物的可能性以及相对较低的饲养成本，越来越多的昆虫物种被提议作为生命科学研究中的模式生物。甲虫是最大的昆虫目，其代表性物种赤拟谷盗是首个基因组完全测序的物种，似乎正成为各类研究中模式生物的新潜在候选者。除了赤拟谷盗，代表各种鞘翅目科的其他物种，如黄粉虫等也已被使用。它们越来越多地被纳入两个主要研究方面：生物医学和环境研究。生物医学研究主要集中于揭示基本生命过程的机制，如进食、神经传递或免疫系统的活动，以及以甲虫为模型阐明不同疾病（神经退行性、心血管、代谢或免疫性）的机制。此外，还开发了在甲虫中测试新型生物活性物质的药理生物测定法。应当强调的是，甲虫是具有潜在抗菌和抗癌活性化合物的来源。基于环境的研究主要集中于开发和测试化学和天然来源的新型潜在杀虫剂。此外，甲虫被用作食物或其有价值的补充剂。不同的甲虫科也被用作生物指示物。另一个以甲虫为模型的重要研究领域是行为生态学研究，例如亲代抚育。在本文中，我们综述了关于甲虫作为模式生物的当前知识及其在生命科学各个领域的实际应用。
