LEXINGTON, Va., Oct. 17, 2022—Frederik Soddy, a British chemist who won the 1921 Nobel Prize in chemistry once said, “The real value of science is in the getting, and those who have tasted the pleasure of discovery alone know what science is.” Col. Tappey H. Jones ’70, professor of chemistry at Virginia Military Institute, has tasted that pleasure of discovery Soddy referred to, and his findings have recently been published in Nature: Communications Biology.

Jones’s work in natural products chemistry has been published many times. This recent scientific article however, covers findings of years of research, much collaboration with colleagues, and a bit of providence.

The article is titled “Male Fire ant Neurotransmitter Precursors Trigger Reproductive Development in Females after Mating” and describes the function of tyramides in the reproduction of fire ants. Tyramides are a class of compounds discovered by chance in some male ants found on the VMI Parade Ground back in 1995 and 1996 while Jones was conducting research with Jeffrey S.T. Gorman ’98. Tyramides were later found in male fire ants and fungus-growing ants (leaf-cutter ants). The work at VMI included the identification and synthesis of the various tyramides to provide material for the biological studies that would help reveal their function. During mating, tyramides are transferred to gynes (females destined to become queens) which leads to rapid reproductive development. The aim of these studies was to shed light on the role of these compounds in ants and characterize the different tyramide structural types produced by male fire ants and fungus-growing ants.

Collaborators include Dr. Robert K. Vander Meer and Dr. Satya P. Chinta at the Center of Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS in Gainesville, Florida; and Dr. Rachelle M.M. Adams, assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. “Science is collaborative. It is discovery and fun. It’s certainly been a blessing to work with these people on this project,” said Jones. The team plans for future research.

Nature is one of the highest ranked peer-review journals in science, and Communications Biology is part of the Nature portfolio, publishing high-quality research, reviews, and commentary in all areas of the biological sciences. The article may be accessed here. A follow up article detailing this work on fungus growing ants was also published. 

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE