Zhao Chonghui, Peng Yehua, Li Wenfeng, Raza Muhammad Fahad, Wang Wenbo, Zhang Yi, Chen Yanping, Guo Jun, Huang Shaokang, Han Richou
Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2025 Jun 7;11(1):97. doi: 10.1038/s41522-025-00723-9.
The gut microbiota-gonadal axis is increasingly recognized, but its reproductive roles remain unclear. Here, we used the Asian honey bee Apis cerana queens as a model to investigate the role of the gut microbiota-gonadal axis on ovary activation. By artificially caging and releasing the mated queens for a short or long period and monitoring the morphological changes of their ovaries, we confirmed that the activation and suppression of the queen ovary could be switched quickly. We found that the ovary weight was positively correlated with the body weight. 16S rRNA sequencing showed ovarian deactivation reduced gut Lactobacillus abundance. Untargeted metabolomics identified purine metabolism as the dominant ovarian pathway, while correlation analyses implicated Lactobacillus in modulating ovarian morphology through purine signaling. This study elucidates microbiota-gonadal crosstalk governing reproduction, providing mechanistic insights with translational potential for reproductive health management.
肠道微生物群-性腺轴越来越受到认可，但其在生殖方面的作用仍不清楚。在此，我们以中华蜜蜂蜂王为模型，研究肠道微生物群-性腺轴对卵巢激活的作用。通过对已交配蜂王进行短期或长期的人工笼养和放归，并监测其卵巢的形态变化，我们证实蜂王卵巢的激活和抑制可以迅速切换。我们发现卵巢重量与体重呈正相关。16S rRNA测序显示卵巢失活会降低肠道中乳酸杆菌的丰度。非靶向代谢组学确定嘌呤代谢是卵巢的主要代谢途径，而相关性分析表明乳酸杆菌通过嘌呤信号调节卵巢形态。本研究阐明了控制生殖的微生物群-性腺相互作用，为生殖健康管理提供了具有转化潜力的机制性见解。
