RIKEN Team Uses Insects to Produce Nanocarbons

RIKEN researchers have developed a new chemical engineering approach by using insects as living molecule-making factories. This method, called “in-insect synthesis,” enables the creation and modification of complex molecules, including nanocarbons, by harnessing insect metabolism. 

Molecular nanocarbons, composed entirely of carbon atoms, are notable for their strength, electrical conductivity, and fluorescent properties. However, manufacturing such precise structures is challenging, as traditional laboratory methods struggle with the fine control required to assemble and alter these molecules without compromising their structure.

The research team questioned what might happen if insects were fed nanocarbons. Insects like grasshoppers and caterpillars have evolved advanced digestive systems to break down foreign substances, using enzymes capable of complex chemical reactions. The team hypothesized that these enzymes could perform modifications on nanocarbons that are difficult to achieve in the lab.

To test this, tobacco cutworm caterpillars were given a diet containing a belt-shaped molecular nanocarbon, MCPP. Analysis of the caterpillars’ waste revealed a new molecule, MCPP-oxylene, which included an oxygen atom and became fluorescent. The transformation was traced to two enzymes, CYP X2 and X3, which were shown to be essential for the reaction. Computer simulations indicated these enzymes could bind two molecules and insert an oxygen atom into a carbon–carbon bond, a rare process not easily replicated in the laboratory.

Published in Science, this research demonstrates the potential of using insects for the synthesis of complex molecules, opening new possibilities for materials science and bridging organic chemistry with synthetic biology. As Itami notes, pests like the tobacco cutworm can become “unlikely heroes” in scientific innovation.