动物实验,蚜虫与细菌相互共生 z-bio 2021-01-20 264

　　Flowers and plants carefully planted in the garden are always covered by afid. As a notorious pest, Afid only eats plant sap that is nutritious and can achieve explosive reproduction. This is because Afid's body contains endosymbiotic bacteria that produce nutrients.

　　 If there is no endosymbiotic bacteria, Afid will not be able to reproduce, and endosymbiotic bacteria cannot survive outside the cells containing bacteria. This symbiotic relationship has been passed down from generation to generation for approximately 200 million years. A few days ago, Japanese researchers discovered that Affid can use genes "spread" by endosymbionts to synthesize proteins, and then transport them to the endosymbionts to form a high degree of symbiosis. It is expected that this achievement will promote the integration of distantly related organisms and the development of environmentally friendly pest control methods.

　　 The research team of Atsushiakaba, an associate professor at Toyohashi Institute of Technology in Japan, previously discovered that Affid combines internal symbiotic genes with its own genome. This time, the research team used gene recombination technology to study whether the "IpA4" gene synthesizes protein and how the protein is distributed in Afido. It was found that the "IpA4" gene can cause Affid to produce protein, and the produced protein is distributed in the internal symbiotic cells of cells containing bacteria. Researchers believe that this indicates that Affid has developed a transport system to transport proteins to endosymbionts.

　　 Zhongwan Jun said: “This is the ultimate evolutionary method for fusing different organisms. The scientific community can develop technologies that combine useful bacteria and biological products, as well as drug development technologies.”