Aug 2026· Insects· Vol 17, pp. 885· 0 citations· 70 references
TL;DR
Findings underscore the crucial roles of CTL14 and PPO4 as they are involved in both the antiviral defense system and the physiological development of H. cunea, thereby identifying them as potential novel targets for biological pest control strategies.
Abstract
The insect innate immune system serves as the primary line of defense against pathogens, regulated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as C-type lectins (CTLs) and effector systems like prophenoloxidase (PPO). This study aims to provide molecular and functional characterization of the CTL14 and PPO4 genes from Hyphantria cunea. Cloning results revealed that CTL14 encodes 378 amino acids, whereas PPO4 encodes 681 amino acids. Expression analysis indicated that CTL14 is highly expressed during the fourth instar and within midgut tissues, while PPO4 expression is predominant during the first instar and in the epidermis. Functional assays demonstrated that silencing both genes significantly increased larval mortality following infection with the NPV virus using RNA interference (RNAi), with mortality rates reaching 75–100% by the tenth day. Furthermore, knockdown of these genes resulted in noticeable changes in larval physiology, manifested by altered feeding behavior and significantly reduced body weight gain. Conversely, the injection of CTL14 protein resulted in a marked increase in larval body mass accumulation compared to controls. These findings underscore the crucial roles of CTL14 and PPO4 as they are involved in both the antiviral defense system and the physiological development of H. cunea, thereby identifying them as potential novel targets for biological pest control strategies.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important pattern recognition receptors involved in crustacean innate immunity. In this study, the full-length cDNA of
HtTLR2
was cloned from the mudflat crab
Helice tientsinensis
using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The
HtTLR2
cDNA was 3854 bp in length and contained a 3036-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 1011-amino-acid protein. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the HtTLR2 protein possessed conserved structural features typical of TLR family members. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that HtTLR2 was closely related to Toll2 from
Eriocheir sinensis
. Tissue distribution analysis revealed high
HtTLR2
expression in the gills and hepatopancreas and its expression was significantly upregulated in both tissues following infection with
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
(Fujino et al., 1951) Sakazaki et al., 1963. This study provides new insights into the
TLR
gene family of
H. tientsinensis
and lays a foundation for further investigation of the immune mechanisms of this species.
Lulu Chen, Youkun Fang, Yang Ge et al.· Crustaceana· 0 citations
Findings provide the first functional evidence that CMPK2 restricts RGNNV infection in S. chuatsi, highlighting a conserved interferon-responsive antiviral module in teleost fish and identifying CMPK2 as a potential antiviral effector involved in host defense against RGNNV infection.
Chanxia Qin, Jinlong Huang, Linmiao Li et al.· Developmental and Comparativ...· 0 citations
A novel piscidin was identified in largemouth bass that contained an active peptide of 25 aa with an amphipathic helix possessing distinct hydrophobic and positively charged regions, and was significantly up-regulated in spleen from 6 h to 24 h post-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation.
J. Tian, Liqiang Zhang, Qihuan Zhang et al.· Fishes· 0 citations
Chemokines play important roles in coordinating innate immune defense in teleost fish. In this study, a CXCL12a homolog, designated PlCXCL12a, was cloned and characterized from leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus). PlCXCL12a encodes a conserved CXC chemokine containing a typical SCY domain and showed high sequence similarity to teleost CXCL12a homologs. PlCXCL12a was constitutively expressed in multiple tissues and was significantly induced by Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV), and pathogen-associated molecular pattern stimulation. Subcellular localization analysis showed that PlCXCL12a was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm and partially associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Functional assays demonstrated that PlCXCL12a overexpression suppressed SGIV and RGNNV replication, as evidenced by reduced viral gene expression, viral protein levels, cytopathic effects, and viral titers, while PlCXCL12a knockdown promoted viral replication. Notably, under SGIV and RGNNV co-infection, PlCXCL12a showed a stronger early inhibitory effect on SGIV but a weaker inhibitory effect on RGNNV compared with the corresponding single-infection conditions. Moreover, PlCXCL12a enhanced cell migration and increased the mRNA expression of chemokine-, inflammatory-, interferon-, and antiviral-related genes. Dual-luciferase reporter assays further showed that PlCXCL12a positively regulated NF-κB and STAT1 reporter activities. These findings suggest that PlCXCL12a functions as an inducible chemokine involved in both antiviral defense and chemotaxis-associated immune regulation in P. leopardus.
Jinpeng Chen, Shen Li, Yixiang Li et al.· Fish and Shellfish Immunolog...· 0 citations
DmaxVgR gene silencing disrupted follicular architecture and reduced vitellogenin uptake by the oocytes, resulting in increased vitellogenin levels in the hemolymph suggest a feedback mechanism regulating YPP production.
F. O. Ramos, Jimena Leyria, M. Nouzová et al.· Insect Biochemistry and Mole...· 0 citations
Microsporidia Vairimorpha ceranae are virulent pathogens of the European
honeybee Apis mellifera. About ten studies have confirmed that RNA interference
(RNAi)-based silencing of the parasite’s genes inhibits microsporidia growth.
To further evaluate the RNAi effectiveness against V. ceranae and methods for
enhancing it, we synthesized in vitro double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) fragments
of five genes encoding microsporidian DNA replication enzymes, their chimeric
variants composed of predicted small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and the
fragments of four host genes. Fragments of the parasite’s genes encoding the
PTP3 and SWP8 proteins, effective against V. ceranae at low concentrations,
were used as positive controls. Ten-day feeding of individually infected and
individually maintained young bees with dsRNA was followed by spore counting.
This demonstrated (1) increased mortality of individually housed bees, (2) more
effective infection suppression at lower dsRNA concentrations, and (3) the
effectiveness of siRNA-containing chimeras and a gene fragment encoding a
putative host apoptosis inhibitor in reducing spore load. Unfortunately, we were
unable to enhance the RNAi efficiency by mixing the V. ceranae PTP3 fragment
with polyethyleneimine and chitosan polymers, and V. ceranae growth was
also unaffected when hive-derived bees of different ages were fed with E. coliexpressed dsRNA, effective in young insects. Analysis of the RNAi application
to control bee pathogens indicates the need to further improve the efficiency
of V. ceranae inhibition by searching for new target genes, optimizing the
fragment concentration in syrup, and using the most effective dsRNA or siRNA,
nanoparticles and liposomes.
V. Dolgikh, Anastasija N. Ignatieva, A. S. Rumiantseva et al.· Protistology· 0 citations
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