3 days ago
Insects turned into chemical reactors, help make high-tech materials from nanocarbons
Researchers at Japan's RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) and Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) have transformed insects into living chemical reactors.
Led by Kenichiro Itami, the team developed a technique called 'in-insect synthesis' that uses insects to build and modify complex molecules—something that's incredibly difficult with current laboratory methods.
This technique could revolutionize how scientists produce nanocarbons—molecules made entirely of carbon atoms. These nanostructures are strong, conductive, and can glow under certain conditions, making them ideal for aerospace, battery technology, and advanced electronics. But they're notoriously hard to manufacture and modify with precision.
"Our team has been conducting research on molecular nanocarbons, but along with that, we've also developed molecules that act on mammals and plants,' says Itami. 'Through those experiences, we suddenly wondered — what would happen if we fed nanocarbons to insects?'
To test their hypothesis, the researchers turned to a common pest: the tobacco cutworm caterpillar. These insects, often considered a menace in agriculture, have a powerful digestive system built to handle toxic plant compounds and pesticides. Their guts contain enzymes capable of performing complex chemical reactions, which made them ideal candidates for this experiment.
The team fed the caterpillars a molecular nanocarbon known as [6]MCPP—a belt-shaped molecule. Just two days later, the caterpillars had digested the compound and produced a new version of it, now called [6]MCPP-oxylene. This new molecule included an oxygen atom, which made it fluorescent.
That transformation was no accident. The team ran the caterpillar droppings through a full suite of tests: mass spectrometry, NMR, and X-ray crystallography. These revealed the exact structure of the altered molecule and confirmed that it was a successful chemical conversion.
The breakthrough came when molecular biology techniques identified two specific enzymes—CYP X2 and CYP X3—as the catalysts for this transformation. Genetic analysis confirmed their critical role in the reaction.
'It is extremely difficult to reproduce the chemical reactions occurring inside insects in a laboratory setting,' Itami explains. 'Lab-based attempts at this oxidation reaction failed or had very low yields.'
Further computer simulations showed how these enzymes manage the reaction. They could bind two [6]MCPP-oxylene molecules and directly insert an oxygen atom into a carbon–carbon bond. This is not just rare—it's never been seen before in this context. It's a type of precision that modern chemistry still struggles to achieve.
This novel approach is more than just a quirky lab experiment. It opens a whole new direction in how we create useful materials. 'True to the philosophy of the PRI, this work pioneers a new direction in materials science: making functional molecules using insects,' stated Itami.
By using enzymes, microbes, or even entire insects instead of traditional glassware and chemicals, researchers can build complex structures that would otherwise be too expensive or too inefficient to make in the lab. Tools like CRISPR and directed evolution could allow scientists to further optimize this process—essentially programming insects to manufacture new types of molecules for everything from glowing sensors to drug components.
And while these caterpillars are typically viewed as villains in agriculture due to their ability to destroy crops and resist pesticides, the study casts them in a completely different light.
'The tobacco cutworm is a notorious agricultural pest because of its rapid life cycle and exceptional ability to metabolize pesticides, earning them a reputation as global villains in the crop protection industry,' says Itami. 'And yet, what we find truly fascinating, is that in our project, these very moths took on an unexpected role—not as adversaries, but as unlikely heroes.'
The study was published in the journal Science.
