2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Mechano-sensing mechanism of insect flight without nervous control in insect flight
| Project/Area Number |
23612009
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Mechanobiology
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| Research Institution | Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute |
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Principal Investigator |
IWAMOTO Hiroyuki 公益財団法人高輝度光科学研究センター, 利用研究促進部門, 主幹研究員 (60176568)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2013
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| Keywords | メカノセンシング / 昆虫飛翔筋 |
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| Research Abstract |
The wing-beat frequencies of small insects like mosquitos can reach 500 Hz or higher. Such high frequencies cannot be reached by repeating ordinary contraction-relaxation cycles. Instead, they are made possible by the capacity of self-sustained oscillation of the flight muscle, and a mechano-sensing mechanism called "stretch activation" is essential for this capacity. In this study, we were able to obtain crucial information in clarifying the molecular mechanism of "stretch activation" by recording the molecular movement within the flight muscle of live beating insects at a speed of 5000 frames/s by using the high-flux X-ray beams of SPring-8 and ultrafast CMOS video cameras.
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