In Gasocrine We Trust

Adam Mickiewicz University scientist proposes a new concept in biology that may unite researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds. His proposal of gasocrinology is equivalent to Newton’s gravity but for gas-based interactions between and within organisms and even machines. Expanding upon his recent ideas that challenged the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, a researcher at Adam Mickiewicz University's Faculty of Biology now introduces a novel concept in biology. This concept holds promise for enhancing our understanding and treatment of human diseases, managing agricultural pests, as well as addressing the root causes of climate change and global warming. The interactions between organisms are fundamental to the evolution and survival of life on planet Earth. The ideas presented in the new study, proposed by Dr. Savani Anbalagan at the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, could pave the way for a new frontier in understanding the importance of studying organismal interactions through gases. His proposal has been published in one of the journals of the Chinese Animal Society. The survival of plants and animals depends on interactions through gases. Throughout the evolution of organismal life, gases have played an essential role on our planet. Approximately 2-3 billion years ago, during the Great Oxidation Event, the rise in oxygen levels led to the mass extinction of anaerobic organisms. From the roots of an apple tree to the apple itself, from the air we breathe to the cells deep within our bones, gases are omnipresent. Bacteria can defend themselves from antibiotics by releasing gases, while parasite-carrying mosquitoes are also attracted to us via the carbon dioxide we emit. All organisms are interconnected through gases and do not lead isolated lives in their environment. Hence, researchers have taken a keen interest in addressing a fundamental question: how organisms interact via gases? One of the most studied gases is oxygen, and to date, close to a million articles have been published related to it. However, until now, there hasn't been a scientific term to describe the oxygen that connects us to oxygen-producing trees or cyanobacteria and diatoms in the oceans. The majority of biologists who study interactions often focus on interactions that occur within controlled environments, such as test tubes, cells, animal cages, fish tanks, or plants in pots. Organisms release chemicals to signal to other organisms. If these signals are within the same species, they are called pheromones. Pheromones are well-known for their roles in insects and can even establish social hierarchies in certain species. Additionally, some pheromones can exist in gaseous form. "Moths leave signals for other moths, ants for other ants, and even dogs leave signals for other dogs when they urinate in specific spots. All these are examples of pheromones. However, an oxygen-producing tree or microorganism in our ocean is also sending us a signal. Just as ants or flies detect and respond to pheromones to decide where to go, worms and mice can also detect oxygen levels and choose the best oxygen-containing place to stay. But does this classify oxygen as a pheromone? If we shouldn't classify oxygen as a pheromone, but it still acts as a signal that is detected by gasoreceptor proteins that bind and sense oxygen, then what should we call it?”. So, Dr Anbalagan proposes a new term, ‘gasocrine signals’, for all the gases that are released by organisms and machines. "If we must not call it a pheromone, isn’t it time we need a new term? I wanted to call it something different than – environmental signal and I wanted it to be rhyming to ‘endocrine’ so it will be easy for students to remember. I propose oxygen is a ‘gasocrine signal’ to us and other animals." I wanted to call it something different than – environmental signal and I wanted it to be rhyming to ‘endocrine’ so it will be easy for students to remember. In animals, when a signal travels from one cell to a distant cell via the blood, it's termed an endocrine signal. The term 'endocrine' was coined by the French scientist Edouard Laguesse in 1893, and the study of the endocrine system, diseases, and hormones involved is known as endocrinology. The evolution of the endocrinology field has also led to the specialization of doctors into endocrinologists, whom we consult for health issues related to thyroid problems or other hormonal imbalances. These physicians rely on the scientific knowledge of molecular endocrinologists, who have identified the receptors for each of the endocrine molecules, and chemists, who have been able to synthesize such molecules in the laboratory. Endocrine drugs include recombinant insulin to treat diabetics and Pitocin, a synthetic oxytocin used to induce labor in pregnant women. “But if you think about it, oxygen is also transported in our blood, it reaches different cells, but then our body doesn’t make oxygen and we still do not know all the oxygen gasoreceptors in our body. The oxygen we breathe can even come from the oxygen-making microorganisms in our oceans and trees from other continents, or worst-case scenario, supplied via oxygen tanks in hospitals like we witnessed during the recent pandemic. Much like the endocrine system within our bodies, our planet’s gas-based endocrine system, I call it the ‘gasocrine system’. Just as we have the field of endocrinology, I propose ‘Gasocrinology’. Similar to how endocrinologists address thyroid hormone issues, perhaps one day we’ll have gasocrinologists to address diseases due to problems in our methane or ethylene or other gases produced in our body or environment. For diabetes patients, insulin shots are merely an endocrine medicine; during the COVID pandemic, those saved by oxygen tanks simply required gasocrine medicine. Just as Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s radioactivity research that advanced cancer treatment, we may one day treat diseases using various gases.” However, the molecular mechanisms underlying gas production in organisms and the factors influencing gas production and how gasoreceptors work and how many different gasoreceptors exist is unclear. While we understand the significance of photosynthesis in plants, trees, diatoms and cyanobacteria for oxygen production, recent long-term studies in Japan have revealed that certain air pollutants from vehicle exhaust can diminish the photosynthetic capacity of tree leaves in urban environments. Additionally, Australian researchers have reported that plastic pollutants can decrease the oxygen output of cyanobacteria, which are the most abundant oxygen-producing microorganisms in our planet's oceans. But we've only scratched the surface. Just as oxygen serves as a gasocrine signal between oxygen-producing organisms and animals, countless other gases produced by nearly every organism likely serve as signals to other organisms. Recent research in Switzerland has unequivocally demonstrated that western corn rootworm larvae are attracted to maize roots over long distances by sensing the carbon dioxide released by the roots. This corn pest ranks among North America's most destructive, and its spread to Europe, including Poland, is concerning. Agricultural losses due to western corn rootworm infestations range from 15-45% annually, depending on the severity of infection, with losses reaching up to billions of USD each year, and their unpredictability adds to the challenge. “Aren’t these billion dollars losses each year simply due to gasocrine signals between these pests and maize roots? It is now a question to plant researchers or even material science researchers or chemists: how to safely block the gasocrine signals between the roots and the pest? And if possible, is blocking these signals a safer alternative to existing techniques?” asks Dr Anbalagan. For the gasocrine signal to work properly, both the gas-sensing, and synthesis mechanisms must function properly. “Similar to pest research that identified how pests detect carbon dioxide via gasoreceptors, we still need a lot of basic research to identify how our cells sense gases such as oxygen and how gasoreceptors work? And what about other gases? Why sensing gases is important? Does it lead to diseases? If so which diseases? Perhaps, we may treat disease via gases or identify what disrupts gasoreceptors?”. Dr Anbalagan’s proposal for diagnosing or treating diseases with gases indeed builds upon existing practices. During the recent pandemic, pulse oximeters were widely utilized to assess oxygen levels and determine the severity of COVID-19 infections. In cases of cyanide poisoning or severe burn injuries, hyperbaric oxygen therapy stands as one therapeutic option for patients. Additionally, although with varying success rates, sniffer dogs have been employed to detect cancer from the breath of patients. Moreover, in individuals with schizophrenia, hydrogen sulfide-producing genes in their hair follicles have been considered as potential biomarkers. “Ethylene is one of the best applications of gasocrinology in agriculture industry. It is widely used in banana ripening and ethylene gasoreceptors in plants has been discovered. But our body also produces ethylene but we do not know what is the identity of ethylene gasoreceptors in our body and what is its role?” says Dr Anbalagan. When asked what the future holds for gasocrinology research. "If you think about it, for the development of the endocrinology field, we needed curious physiologists, molecular biologists, molecular endocrinologists, chemists, pharmacologists and then finally the big pharmaceutical companies that make these medicines and health insurance companies of course. There was overlap between their research activities to identify new endocrine drugs. So, tell me, what will be needed for the development of the field of gasocrinology? Maybe we need curious planet physiologists, pla