Environmental response control systems inspired by insects and plants

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Innovative Materials Engineering Based on Biological Diversity
• Project/Area Number: 24120006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Complex systems
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Naoki Mori 京都大学, 農学研究科, 教授 (30293913)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 奥本 裕 京都大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (90152438) ; 三瀬 和之 京都大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (90209776) ; 西野 浩史 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 助教 (80332477) ; 光野 秀文 東京大学, 先端科学技術研究センター, 助教 (60511855) ; 尾崎 まみこ 神戸大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00314302) ; 岩佐 達郎 室蘭工業大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00133926) ; 中村 整 電気通信大学, 情報理工学(系)研究科, 教授 (50217858) ; 奥田 隆 国立研究開発法人農業生物資源研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (60414893) ; 齋藤 正男 東北大学, 多元物質科学研究所, 名誉教授 (70302239) ; 高梨 琢磨 国立研究開発法人森林総合研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (60399376)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): FUKUDA Hisashi 室蘭工業大学, 大学院工学研究科, 教授 (10261380)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: バイオミメティクス / 昆虫摸倣 / 化学センサ / 植物の抵抗性 / 乾燥耐性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We focused “elucidation of pheromone blend detection mechanism and construction of the detection model” and “the function of sub-cellular structures in chemosensory organs for the discrimination of incremental differences among multi-component odor signals” as priority areas of our research. As results, using a clear-winged moth that utilizes a pheromone blend of two components, we identified two pheromone receptors, each of which specifically responded to each component. We found that population ratio of receptor neurons specific to components in antenna are correlated with compositions ratio of the corresponding components in the moth. In ants, they discriminate nestmate and non-nestmate workers based on the incremental differences among multi-component odor signals. We found that the sub-cellular structures, which regulate inter-cellular connections of chemosensory neurons, have an important function in the discrimination of incremental differences of odor blends in the ants.

Free Research Field

農芸化学