Hello! We are 2023 NCHU_Taichung. This year, our project focuses on the pollination crisis caused by environmental climate change in global agriculture. We hope to improve the memory and flight ability of important pollinators: bees. Therefore, we plan to use Bacillus subtilis to perform a genetic transformation, making it produces pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), which is beneficial to memory and has proven to increase the number of rats' mitochondria. Furthermore, we are looking forward to developing a unique feed formula that contributes to agriculture!
Bees play a vital role as pollinators, contributing to approximately one-third of our food supply, which depends on flowering plants, with 80% of them relying on bee pollination. Unfortunately, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an abnormal phenomenon characterized by the sudden disappearance of worker bees from hives, poses a serious threat.
The cognitive abilities and flight capabilities of bees are essential for the efficient and effective pollination of flowers. What’s worse, bees' brains are adversely affected by a range of environmental pressures, resulting in significant impairments to their foraging behavior.
From an economic standpoint, the economic benefits of bee pollination are estimated to be around 212 billion US dollars annually, accounting for nearly 9.5% of the global crop output value. The disappearance of bees would have significant repercussions, affecting not only bee-related products such as honey, royal jelly, and propolis, but also leading to reduced crop yields and a potential food crisis. This, in turn, would impact the livelihoods of farmers and disrupt economic development.
On a social level, the reliance on bees for pollination extends to human well-being. Insufficient pollination can result in a 3-5% reduction in global fruit, vegetable, and nut production, leading to an increased risk of diseases related to a lack of a healthy diet. This can have severe consequences, including an estimated 427,000 deaths per year from diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. The interconnectedness between bees and humans underscores the critical importance of ensuring their survival for food security and public health.
From an environmental perspective, the decline of bees poses a significant threat to ecological balance. Bees are key contributors to maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Their disappearance would disrupt the pollination process and affect the reproduction of various plants, potentially triggering an ecological crisis. The impact would extend beyond bees themselves, affecting other animals dependent on bee-pollinated plants and further destabilizing ecosystems.
CCD has given rise to a lot of severe problems, which places an urgent issue demanding immediate attention.
The situation is concerning, but our project aims to address it. After a considerable time of researching, we turn our heads to the promising star PQQ!
PQQ, pyrroloquinoline quinone, is a redox cofactor and antioxidant, known for its potential effects on organisms, including its anti-aging properties. Previous studies have already demonstrated the positive impact of PQQ on rice production and wound healing in diabetic patients.
Building on this knowledge, we were intrigued to investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of PQQ supplementation specifically in bees, as they provide an ideal model due to their high energy consumption and mobility.
With these benefits, bees may be better able to find suitable honey sources and return to the hive more easily. In other words, our project proposes a promising supplement to improve bees' resistance to environmental stress and alleviate Colony Collapse Disorder.
The objective of our project is to investigate the impact of PQQ supplementation on the cognitive ability and flying endurance of bees, specifically using Apis mellifera as our experimental model. Our Bacillus subtilis will be engineered to produce PQQ, ensuring the stable presence of the plasmid in Bacillus subtilis without causing horizontal gene transfer in the gut. The plasmid containing the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) biosynthesis genes will be transferred into Bacillus subtilis for expression. The bacteria will be mixed with bee food, allowing Bacillus subtilis to produce PQQ in the gut of the common honeybee species Apis mellifera. This aims to enhance the memory and flight capabilities of honeybees.
Through rigorous scientific research, technological advancements, and collaborative efforts with stakeholders, we are confident that our project will have a lasting impact on global agriculture and ecosystem health. By raising awareness of the critical ecological contributions of bees, we hope to inspire collective action and foster a more sustainable future for our planet.
