近日，德国马克斯·德尔布吕克分子医学中心Gary R. Lewin团队揭示了蜂王气味介导群居哺乳动物的生殖抑制。该项研究成果发表在2026年7月15日出版的《自然》上。

在这里，研究组在蜂王身上发现了一种化学信号，可以调节这种繁殖等级。肉豆蔻酸异丙酯是一种低挥发性酯，在蜂王中含量丰富，在非繁殖动物中几乎不存在。肉豆蔻酸异丙酯被外周和中枢嗅觉神经元检测到，并在高级动物中引起回避。暴露在这种物质中会改变非育种者的催乳素和黄体酮水平，从而抑制繁殖。每日向无蜂群中添加肉豆蔻酸异丙酯可阻止蜂王的继承，而每日停用肉豆蔻酸异丙酯则会引发攻击和繁殖竞争。肉豆蔻酸异丙酯在几种福高氏鼹鼠的雌性繁殖中也被检测到，但在裸鼹鼠中含量较高，与其极端的生殖偏态相似。这些发现揭示了一种可以介导哺乳动物生殖抑制的化学线索，将昆虫和哺乳动物的种族性联系起来。

据介绍，种族性在哺乳动物中极为罕见，其近似机制仍然知之甚少。裸鼹鼠就是一个显著的例子，它的繁殖仅限于一只鼠后，而其他所有的雌性都不能生育。

附：英文原文

Title: A queen odour mediates reproductive suppression in a eusocial mammal

Author: Khallaf, Mohammed A., Hart, Daniel W., Luo, Wenhan, Murad, Firdevs, Cybis Pereira, Felipe, Mendez-Aranda, Daniel, Hagenah, Nicole, Rossi, Alice, Bgay, Valrie, Okrouhlk, Jan, Krautwurst, Dietmar, Ngalameno, Mungo Kisinza, Ganswindt, Andre, Barker, Alison J., umbera, Radim, Knaden, Markus, Pezet, Sophie, Woehler, Andrew, Hansson, Bill S., Bennett, Nigel C., Lewin, Gary R.

Issue&Volume: 2026-07-15

Abstract: Eusociality is exceptionally rare in mammals, and its proximate mechanisms remain poorly understood. Naked mole-rats provide a striking example, with reproduction restricted to a single queen, while all other females remain infertile1. Here we identify a chemical signal in queens that can regulate this reproductive hierarchy. Isopropyl myristate is a low-volatility ester that is enriched in queens and nearly absent from non-breeding animals. Isopropyl myristate is detected by peripheral and central olfactory neurons and elicits avoidance in high-ranking animals. Exposure alters levels of prolactin and progesterone in non-breeders to suppress reproduction. Daily addition of isopropyl myristate to a queenless colony prevented queen succession, whereas withdrawal triggered aggression and reproductive competition. Isopropyl myristate was also detected in breeding females of several Fukomys mole-rat species, but reaches higher levels in naked mole-rats, paralleling their extreme reproductive skew. These findings reveal a chemical cue that can mediate reproductive suppression in a mammal, linking insect and mammalian eusociality.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10772-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10772-5