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Exploration of flowering-promoting substances in bumblebees and elucidation of their mechanisms

Research Project

Project/Area Number 21K20575
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section 0601:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
Research InstitutionKeio University

Principal Investigator

Mori Shinnosuke  慶應義塾大学, 理工学部(矢上), 助教(有期) (10912404)

Project Period (FY) 2021-08-30 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥690,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Keywordsマルハナバチ / シロイヌナズナ / 開花促進 / 唾液腺 / 傷害行動 / 開花促進物質 / 構造決定
Outline of Research at the Start

マルハナバチは、周囲の花が不足すると口器を用いて植物の葉に穴を開ける。この行動は植物の開花を早めることが分かっているが、そのメカニズムは不明である。人為的に穴を開けても開花に必要な期間は変化しない。このことから、マルハナバチが穴開け行動の際に開花を促進する化学的な因子を植物に与えていると考えられる。マルハナバチはいかなる化学物質で植物の開花を操作しているのか?本研究ではマルハナバチの抽出物から開花促進物質を単離し、その化学構造を決定することを目指す。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) punctures the leaves of unbloomed plants using their mouthparts, which accelerates flowering. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that bees provide flower-promoting substances to leaves. In a flight-cage, the fiery-tailed bumblebee (Bombus ignitus), a species native to Japan, showed no puncturing behavior. However, the extract of B. ignitus had a flower-promoting activity when infiltrated to the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. This suggests that chemical factors are responsible for the flowering-promoting phenomenon. When extracts of each body segment (head, thorax, abdomen) were infiltrated to the leaves, the activity was found only in the thorax. Anatomical observations revealed that there was a thoracic salivary gland in the thorax, as exemplified in the western honey bee (Apis mellifera), suggesting that the active substance may be derived from the salivary glands.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究における試験はハチの体内に植物の開花を促進する化学物質が存在することを示唆した。今後、この開花制御物質を特定できれば、植物生理学的な面からの開花制御メカニズムの研究などにもつながるであろう。また、開花制御の仕組みを理解することで、鑑賞用花卉の安定供給や果実収量の向上など農業上にも多大な貢献が期待できる。

Report

(2 results)
  • 2022 Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report

URL: 

Published: 2021-10-22   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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