Anche le api vaccinano i loro piccoli per proteggerli dalle malattie e lo fanno con una proteina chiamata vitellogenina. La scoperta fatta da ricercatori delle università di Helsinky e dell'Arizon, pubblicata su Plos Pathogens, potrebbe essere la chiave per proteggere questi insetti, sempre più minacciati dai cambiamenti ambientali.
Le api sono infatti un fondamentale "strumento" per l'esistenza della catena di produzione dell'agricoltura, praticamente tutte le piante da frutta e il 90% del grano prodotto al mondo non sarebbe prodotto senza l'invisibile lavorio di api e gli altri insetti impollinatori.
La molecola vitellogenina è una sorta di colla dove rimangono impastati frammenti di batteri nocivi sconfitti dalle difese immunitarie delle api adulte. Attraverso la pappa reale questo materiale viene involontariamente trasmesso alla regina che lo trasferisce alle uova deposte. Svelato questo meccanismo sarà forse possibile riuscire a creare farmaci capaci di "infiltrarsi" nella vitellogenina e fortificare le difese delle api.
Red.MM/sdr
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