2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Ultra-weak photon emission due to fungal wood decay by brown rot fungi and the possible application aiming for wood preservation

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	20H03051
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 40020:Wood science-related
Research Institution	Forest Research and Management Organization
Principal Investigator	Takeshi Nishimura 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 主任研究員等 (10353799)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	太田祐子日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 教授 (60343802)
Project Period (FY)	2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords	褐色腐朽菌 / バイオフォトン / 化学発光 / フェントン反応 / オオウズラタケ / 発光メカニズム / 木材腐朽の微弱発光検出 / PCRによる腐朽菌の検出
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Extremely weak light emission, essentially chemiluminescence (CL) was observed from model reaction system of Fenton's reaction that oxidatively degrade carbohydrate, as well as from artificially prepared decayed wood specimens by a brown-rot fungus, Fomitopsis palustris. Fenton's reaction is suggested to be a source for extremely weak biophoton in brown-rot fungi. ESR analysis of the model reaction system revealed the presence of hydroxyl radical. Based on chemiluminescence spectra of decayed wood specimen and model reaction system, mechanism of light emission via reported oxidative pathways was considered. External addition of phthalhydrazide to the model reaction system was effective to gain much stronger light emission. Data on light emissions were collected using decayed field stakes of cryptomeria japonica sapwood and decayed wood specimens. Detection sensitivity of CL to fungal wood decaying by F. palustris was found to be very high as well as PCR.
Free Research Field	木材化学、木材保存
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	木材腐朽性担子菌による腐朽木部からのバイオフォトン（目視不能な微弱生物発光）についての知見は極めて少なく、先行研究のない褐色腐朽について新たな知見が得られた学術的意義は大きい。腐朽を早期に発見しこれに対処したメンテナンスを施すことは、木造建造物の保護と長寿命化、さらに木材はCO2固定材料である事から地球温暖化防止の観点から重要であり、木材腐朽の超高感度な検出手法の開発はこの点で大いに意義がある。本研究の内容は、令和3年6月15日に閣議決定された「森林・林業基本計画」に示される（３）都市等における木材利用の促進の中の公共建築物・民間非住宅・土木分野等への利用拡大に対応した取り組みでもある。