2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Analysis of the microenvironment in the spermatheca for long-term sperm storage in ant queens
Project/Area Number |
20K06080
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Section | 一般 |
Review Section |
Basic Section 39050:Insect science-related
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Research Institution | Konan University |
Principal Investigator |
Gotoh Ayako 甲南大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (70734680)
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Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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Keywords | 精子貯蔵 / 受精嚢 / 女王アリ / アリ |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Females of social Hymenoptera mate only at the beginning of their adult lives and produce offspring until their death without additional mating. In most ant species, queens live for over a decade, indicating that ant queens can store large numbers of spermatozoa throughout their long lives. To reveal the long-term sperm storage mechanism, I focused on the microenvironment in the spermathecal reservoir. Here, I showed that the spermathecal environment is nearly anoxic, which induces sperm immobilization. Furthermore, artificial anoxic conditions rather than aerobic conditions sustain viable sperm cells. Therefore, near-anoxia is a key factor influencing long-term sperm storage in ant queens.
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Free Research Field |
昆虫学、分子生態学
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
女王アリが受精嚢内で、非自己であるオスの精子を常温のままで10年以上生存させる現象は、細胞生物学の常識を覆すものである。また、アリ科女王の精子貯蔵能力は極めて特殊であり、高度な社会性をもつアリの繁殖戦略を考える上でも興味深い。 現在、畜産や不妊治療の現場では、家畜やヒトの精子は液体窒素により凍結されて保存されている。女王アリは、液体窒素を使わなくとも常温で長期間精子を貯蔵できるため、女王アリの特殊な精子貯蔵メカニズムが完全に解明されれば、将来、家畜やヒトの精子も低エネルギーかつ高品質で保存できるようになるかもしれない。
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