Nanotransducer-Enabled Wireless Spatiotemporal Tuning of Engineered Bacteria in Bumblebee

Small. 2023 Sep;19(36):e2301064. doi: 10.1002/smll.202301064. Epub 2023 May 1.

Abstract

Bumblebees are essential pollinators of wild-flowering plants and crops. It is noticed that regulating the gut microorganisms of bumblebees is of great significance for the maintenance of bumblebee health and disease treatment. Additionally, social bees are used as models to study regulatory control methods of gut bacteria in vivo. However, these methods lack precision and are not studied in bumblebees. In this study, nanotransducers are used for wireless spatiotemporal tuning of engineered bacteria in bumblebees. These nanotransducers are designed as 1D chains with smooth surfaces for easy transport in vivo, and temperature-controlled engineered bacteria colonize the guts of microbial-free bumblebees. Thermal production in the bumblebee gut is achieved using magnetothermal and photothermal methods in response to nanotransducers, resulting in significant target protein upregulation in engineered bacteria in the bumblebee gut. This advanced technology enables the precise control of engineered bacteria in the bumblebee gut. It also lays the foundation for the treatment of bumblebee intestinal parasitic diseases and the elimination of pesticide residues.

Keywords: bumblebee; engineered bacteria; nanotransducers; wireless spatiotemporal tuning.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria*
  • Bees
  • Crops, Agricultural*