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Zhou L, Meng G, Zhu L, Ma L, Chen K. Insect Antimicrobial Peptides as Guardians of Immunity and Beyond: A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3835. [PMID: 38612644 PMCID: PMC11011964 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as immune effectors synthesized by a variety of organisms, not only constitute a robust defense mechanism against a broad spectrum of pathogens in the host but also show promising applications as effective antimicrobial agents. Notably, insects are significant reservoirs of natural AMPs. However, the complex array of variations in types, quantities, antimicrobial activities, and production pathways of AMPs, as well as evolution of AMPs across insect species, presents a significant challenge for immunity system understanding and AMP applications. This review covers insect AMP discoveries, classification, common properties, and mechanisms of action. Additionally, the types, quantities, and activities of immune-related AMPs in each model insect are also summarized. We conducted the first comprehensive investigation into the diversity, distribution, and evolution of 20 types of AMPs in model insects, employing phylogenetic analysis to describe their evolutionary relationships and shed light on conserved and distinctive AMP families. Furthermore, we summarize the regulatory pathways of AMP production through classical signaling pathways and additional pathways associated with Nitric Oxide, insulin-like signaling, and hormones. This review advances our understanding of AMPs as guardians in insect immunity systems and unlocks a gateway to insect AMP resources, facilitating the use of AMPs to address food safety concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizhen Zhou
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China;
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Guanliang Meng
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, 53113 Bonn, Germany;
| | - Ling Zhu
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China;
| | - Li Ma
- College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030810, China
| | - Kangkang Chen
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China;
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Sun LN, Meng JY, Wang Z, Lin SY, Shen J, Yan S. Research progress of aphid immunity system: Potential effective target for green pest management. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38415382 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Due to the absence of acquired immunity, insects primarily rely on their innate immune system to resist pathogenic microorganisms and parasitoids in natural habitats. This innate immune system can be classified into cellular immunity and humoral immunity. Cellular immunity is mediated by hemocytes, which perform phagocytosis, aggregation, and encapsulation to fight against invaders, whereas the humoral immunity primarily activates the immune signaling pathways and induces the generation of immune effectors. Existing studies have revealed that the hemipteran aphids lack some crucial immune genes compared to other insect species, indicating the different immune mechanisms in aphids. The current review summarizes the adverse impacts of pathogenic microorganisms and parasitoids on aphids, introduces the cellular and humoral immune systems in insects, and analyzes the differences between aphids and other insect species. Furthermore, our review also discussed the existing prospects and challenges in aphid immunity research, and proposed the potential application of immune genes in green pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Na Sun
- Department of Plant Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Yu Meng
- Guizhou Tobacco Science Research Institute, Guiyang, China
| | - Zeng Wang
- Department of Plant Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shi-Yang Lin
- Pu'er Agricultural Science Research Institute, Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Department of Plant Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Yan
- Department of Plant Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Ren Y, Chen J, Fu S, Bu W, Xue H. Changes in the gut bacterial community affect miRNA profiles in Riptortus pedestris under different rearing conditions. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2023; 48:101135. [PMID: 37688974 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects possess complex and dynamic gut microbial system, which contributes to host nutrient absorption, reproduction, energy metabolism, and protection against stress. However, there are limited data on interactions of host-gut bacterial microbiota through miRNA (microRNA) regulation in a significant pest, Riptortus pedestris. Here, we performed the 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and small RNA sequencing from the R. pedestris gut under three environmental conditions and antibiotic treatment, suggesting that we obtained a large amount of reads by assembly, filtration and quality control. The 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing results showed that the abundance and diversity of gut bacterial microbiota were significantly changed between antibiotic treatment and other groups, and they are involved in metabolism and biosynthesis-related function based on functional prediction. Furthermore, we identified different numbers of differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) based on high-quality mappable reads, which were enriched in various immune-related pathways, including Toll-like receptor, RIG-I-like receptor, NOD-like receptor, JAK/STAT, PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, MAPK signaling pathways, and so forth, using GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Later on, the identified miRNAs and their target genes in the R. pedestris gut were predicted and randomly selected to construct an interaction network. Finally, our study indicated that alterations in the gut bacterial microbiota are significantly positively or negatively associated with DEMs of the Toll/Imd signaling pathway with Pearson correlation analysis. Taken together, the results of our study lay the foundation for further deeply understanding the interactions between the gut microbiota and immune responses in R. pedestris through miRNA regulation, and provide the new basis for pest management in hemipteran pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yipeng Ren
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
| | - Juhong Chen
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
| | - Siying Fu
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
| | - Wenjun Bu
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
| | - Huaijun Xue
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
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Ren Y, Wang Y, Chen J, Fu S, Bu W, Xue H. Integrated analysis of miRNA profiles and gut bacterial changes in Altica viridicyanea following antibiotic treatment. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10660. [PMID: 37915809 PMCID: PMC10616750 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut bacteria involves in insect homeostasis by playing essential roles in host physiology, metabolism, innate immunity, and so forth. microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression to affect immune or metabolic processes in insects. For several non-model insects, the available knowledge on the relationship between changes in the gut bacteria and miRNA profiles is limited. In this study, we investigated the gut bacterial diversity, composition, and function from Altica viridicyanea feeding on normal- and antibiotic-treated host plants using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing; antibiotics have been shown to affect the body weight and development time in A. viridicyanea, suggesting that the gut bacteria of the normal sample were more diverse and abundant than those of the antibiotic-fed group, and most of them were involved in various physical functions by enrichment analysis. Furthermore, we executed small RNA transcriptome sequencing using the two experimental groups to obtain numerous sRNAs, such as piRNAs, siRNAs, and known and novel miRNAs, by data mapping and quality control, and furthermore, a total of 224 miRNAs were identified as significantly differentially expressed miRNAs, of which some DEMs and their target genes participated in immune- and metabolism-related pathways based on GO and KEGG annotation. Besides, regarding the regulatory roles of miRNA and target genes, a interaction network of DEM-target gene pairs from eight immune- or metabolism-related signaling pathways were constructed. Finally, we discovered that DEMs from above pathways were significantly positively or negatively correlated with gut bacterial alterations following antibiotic treatment. Collectively, the observations of this study expand our understanding of how the disturbance of gut bacteria affects miRNA profiles in A. viridicyanea and provide new valuable resources from extreme ranges for future studies on the adaptive evolution in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yipeng Ren
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Yuan Wang
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Juhong Chen
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Siying Fu
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Wenjun Bu
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Huaijun Xue
- Institute of Entomology, College of Life SciencesNankai UniversityTianjinChina
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Ma L, Yan X, Zhou L, Wang W, Chen K, Hao C, Lu Z, Qie X. Nitric oxide synthase is required for the pea aphid's defence against bacterial infection. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 32:187-199. [PMID: 36527288 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Compared to other insects, the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum has a reduced immune system with an absence of genes coding for a lot of immunity-related molecules. Notably, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which catalyses the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), is present in the pea aphid. However, the role of NO in the immune system of pea aphid remains unclear. In this study, we explored the role of NO in the defence of the pea aphid against bacterial infections and found that the NOS gene of the pea aphid responded to an immune challenge, with the expression of ApNOS observably upregulated after bacterial infections. Knockdown of ApNOS using RNA interference or inhibition of NOS activity increased the number of live bacterial cells in aphids and the mortality of aphids after bacterial infection. Conversely, the increase in NO level in aphids using NO donor inhibited the bacterial growth, increased the survival of bacteria-infected aphids, and upregulated immune genes, such as Toll pathway and phagocytosis related genes. Thus, NO promotes immune responses and plays an important role in the immune system of pea aphid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ma
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
| | - Xizhong Yan
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
| | - Wentao Wang
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
| | - Kangkang Chen
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Chi Hao
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
| | - Zhiqiang Lu
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xingtao Qie
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
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Xu J, Zheng L, Tan M, Wu H, Yan S, Jiang D. The susceptibility of Hyphantria cunea larvae to microbial pesticides Bacillus thuringiensis and Mamestra brassicae nuclear polyhedrosis virus under Cd stress. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:105383. [PMID: 36963948 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution is an abiotic factor that can affect the efficiency of pest control. In this study, two microbial pesticides, Bacillus thuringiensis and Mamestra brassicae nuclear polyhedrosis virus (MbNPV), were used to treat Hyphantria cunea larvae with Cd pre-exposure, and the humoral and cellular immunity of H. cunea larvae with Cd exposure were evaluated. The results showed that Cd exposure increased the susceptibility of H. cunea larvae to microbial pesticides B. thuringiensis and MbNPV, and the lethal effect of Cd exposure and microbial pesticides on H. cunea larvae was synergistic. Cd exposure significantly decreased the expression of pathogen recognition genes (GNBP1 and GNBP3), signal transduction genes (Relish, Myd88, Tube, and Imd), and antimicrobial peptide gene (Lebocin) in the humoral immunity of H. cunea larvae compared with the untreated larvae. Parameters of cellular immunity, including the number of hemocytes, phagocytic activity, melanization activity, encapsulation activity, and the expression of three phagocytic regulatory genes (HEM1, GALE1, GALE2), were also found to decrease significantly in Cd-treated larvae. TOPSIS analysis showed that humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and total immunity levels of H. cunea larvae with Cd exposure were weaker than those in untreated larvae. Correlation analysis showed that the mortality of two microbial pesticides investigated in H. cunea larvae was negatively correlated with the humoral and cellular immunity of larvae. Taken togther, Cd exposure results in immunotoxic effects on H. cunea larvae and the use of microbial pesticides are an effective strategy for pest control in heavy metal-polluted areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsheng Xu
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China
| | - Lin Zheng
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China
| | - Mingtao Tan
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China
| | - Hongfei Wu
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China
| | - Shanchun Yan
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China
| | - Dun Jiang
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China.
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Li Q, Zhang C, Zhang C, Duan R, Hua Y. CG4968 positively regulates the immune deficiency pathway by targeting Imd protein in Drosophila. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14870. [PMID: 36778143 PMCID: PMC9912943 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster relies solely on innate immunity to defend against various microbial pathogens. Although it is well-known that the adaptor protein Imd undergoes K63-linked ubiquitination to activate the downstream signaling cascades, its involvement with K48-linked ubiquitination and what is responsible for controlling this modification remain largely unknown. In this study, we explored the immunological function of CG4968, which encodes a typical ovarian tumour-associated protease (OTU)-type deubiquitinase (Dub) in flies. Our in vitro and vivo evidence demonstrated that CG4968 plays a positive role in governing the immune deficiency (IMD), but not the Toll innate immune response in an OTU domain-dependent manner. Mechanistically, we found that CG4968 is associated with Imd to restrict its K48-linked ubiquitination, thereby contributing to its turnover. Collectively, our study uncovered a novel regulatory mechanism involving the K48-linked ubiquitination of Imd in Drosophila innate immunity.
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