Chemical identity, function and regulation of enteroendocrine peptides in insects

• Enteroendocrine peptides represent ‘brain–gut peptides’ that are also produced by neurons.
• Distribution and number of immunoreactive enteroendocrine cells can vary between species, stages and feeding status.
• Enteroendocrine peptides act locally on the gut, but likely also signal to peripheral organs including the brain.
• Enteroendocrine peptides are shown to affect gut motility, enzyme secretion and lipid metabolism.

How animals allocate energy and metabolic decisions are coordinated is a fundamental physiological question. Metabolic research is strongly driven by an increasing obesity rate in humans. For insects — which contain many pest species and disease vectors — the control of feeding is of agroeconomical and medical importance. Regulatory peptides have since long been in focus of metabolic research. In insects, major advances have been made recently, mostly due to research in the genetically tractable Drosophila melanogaster with focus on the central nervous system as a source of neuropeptides. Research on peptides produced by enteroendocrine cells remained peripheral, but this situation is about to change. This review highlights current knowledge and advances on the identity and role of enteroendocrine insect peptides.

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