Detecting the presence of insecticide target sites expressed in non-engineered insect cell lines: a high throughput screening approach

One of the principal reasons insecticide discovery has experienced a recent decline in success is due to the increased cost required of chemical synthesis.  Also, insecticide discovery has become increasingly complex as the issue of selectivity must be considered while retaining high toxicity for target organisms.  For these reasons, the need for novel chemicals and chemical classes is imperative for the control of agricultural, medical, and veterinary relevant insect pests. 

This study used cultures of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf21) and Anopheles gambiae (Sua1B) insect cells and a mixture of differentiation agents to produce viable neuron-like cells.  In the presence of the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE), Sf21 cells began to express neuronal morphology, or the production of elongated, axon-like processes.  Differentiated cultures were then used to evaluate established insecticidal compounds to detect the expression of target proteins, specific to ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors, with the use of fluorescence imaging.

Through the use of insect cell lines and differentiation with an inducer, the goal of this research is to develop a cell-based high throughput screening (HTS) assay for a quick and economical way to test chemical compounds for insecticide discovery.  This approach will optimize the chances of finding candidate compounds with target sites of interest without the laborious techniques of the past, such as dissection and primary neuronal culture.