Cen Qian

Serpin-15 from Bombyx mori inhibits prophenoloxidase activation and expression of antimicrobial peptides.

Serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) play a key role in physiological responses by controlling protease activities. In this study, we studied the biochemical functions of serpin-15, an SPI, from Bombyx mori (Bmserpin-15). Recombinant Bmserpin-15 was expressed in Escherichia coli cells and used to raise rabbit anti-Bmserpin-15 polyclonal antibodies. Bmserpin-15 mRNA and protein expression was detected in all tested tissues, particularly in the fat body and silk gland. After challenge with four different microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Beauveria bassiana, Micrococcus luteus and B. mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus), the expressions of Bmserpin-15 mRNA and protein were induced significantly, particularly by B. bassiana and M. luteus. Recombinant Bmserpin-15 inhibited prophenoloxidase activation, but did not affect phenoloxidase activity, in B. mori hemolymph. Injection of recombinant Bmserpin-15 into B. mori larvae reduced significantly the transcript levels of antimicrobial peptides in fat body. Our results suggested that Bmserpin-15 plays an important role in the innate immunity of B. mori.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidade)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was determined to be 15,374 bp (GenBank accession No. KF543065), including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and an A + T-rich region. It has the typical gene organization and order of mitogenomes from lepidopteran insects. The AT skew of this mitogenome was slightly positive and the nucleotide composition was also biased toward A + T nucleotides (81.03%). All PCGs were initiated by ATN codons, except for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene which was initiated by CGA. Four of the 13 PCGs harbor the incomplete termination codon by T. All the tRNA genes displayed a typical clover-leaf structure of mitochondrial tRNA, with the exception of trnS1 (AGN). The A + T-rich region of the mitogenome was 326 bp in length.

Inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis influencing the transcripts level of sHSP21.4 gene induced by pathogen infections, in Antheraea pernyi.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) can regulate protein folding and protect cells from stress. To investigate the role of sHSPs in the silk-producing insect Antheraea pernyi response to microorganisms, a sHsp gene termed as Ap-sHSP21.4, was identified. This gene encoded a 21.4 kDa protein which shares the conserved structure of insect sHsps and belongs to sHSP21.4 family. Ap-sHSP21.4 was highly expressed in fat body and up-regulated in midgut and fat body of A. pernyi challenged with Escherichia coli, Beauveria bassiana and nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV), which was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Meanwhile, knock down of Ap-sHSP21.4 with dsRNA result in the decrease at the expression levels of several immune response-related genes (defensin, Dopa decarboxylase, Toll1, lysozyme and Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor). Additionally, the impact of eicosanoid biosynthesis on the expression of Ap-sHSP21.4 response to NPV was determined using qPCR, inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis significantly suppress Ap-HSP21.4 expression upon NPV challenge. All together, Ap-sHSP21.4 was involved in the immunity of A. pernyi against microorganism and possibly mediated by eicosanoids pathway. These results will shed light in the understanding of the pathogen-host interaction in A. pernyi.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) was determined (GenBank accession No. KM023645). The length of this mitogenome is 16,014 bp with 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and an A + T-rich region. It presents the typical gene organization and order for completely sequenced lepidopteran mitogenomes. The nucleotide composition of the genome is highly A + T biased, accounting for 81.48%, with a slightly positive AT skewness (0.005). All PCGs are initiated by typical ATN codons, except for the gene cox1, which uses CGA as its start codon. Some PCGs harbor TA (nad5) or incomplete termination codon T (cox1, cox2, nad2 and nad4), while others use TAA as their termination codons. The A + T-rich region is located between rrnS and trnM with a length of 888 bp.

Eicosanoids mediate sHSP 20.8 gene response to biotic stress in larvae of the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) can regulate protein folding and protect cells from stress. To investigate the role of sHSPs in the silk-producing insect Antheraea pernyi (A. pernyi; Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), cDNA encoding HSP20.8 in A. pernyi, termed Ap-sHSP20.8, was identified as a 564 bp ORF. The translated amino acid sequence encoded 187 residues with a calculated molecular mass of 20.8 kDa and an isoelectronic point (pI) of 5.98; the sequence showed homology to sHSP chaperone proteins from other insects. Ap-sHSP20.8 mRNA transcript expression was abundant in the midgut and fat body and found to be both constitutive and inducible by infectious stimuli. Therefore, Ap-sHSP20.8 may play important roles in A. pernyi immune responses under biotic stress. Furthermore, we found that eicosanoids could mediate the induction of Ap-sHSP20.8 in the fat body and midgut. Our findings show that sHSPs may be promising molecules to target in order to cripple immunity in insect pests.

Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Cerura menciana and Comparison with Other Lepidopteran Insects.

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Cerura menciana (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) was sequenced and analyzed in this study. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 15,369 bp, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and a A+T-rich region. The positive AT skew (0.031) indicated that more As than Ts were present. All PCGs were initiated by ATN codons, except for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, which was initiated by CAG. Two of the 13 PCGs contained the incomplete termination codon T or TA, while the others were terminated with the stop codon TAA. The A+T-rich region was 372 bp in length and consisted of an ‘ATAGA’ motif followed by an 18 bp poly-T stretch, a microsatellite-like (AT)8 and a poly-A element upstream of the trnM gene. Results examining codon usage indicated that Asn, Ile, Leu2, Lys, Tyr and Phe were the six most frequently occurring amino acids, while Cys was the rarest. Phylogenetic relationships, analyzed based on the nucleotide sequences of the 13 PCGs from other insect mitogenomes, confirmed that C. menciana belongs to the Notodontidae family.

Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Leucoma salicis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) and Comparison with Other Lepidopteran Insects

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Leucoma salicis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) was sequenced and annotated. It is a circular molecule of 15,334 bp, containing the 37 genes usually present in insect mitogenomes. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) are initiated by ATN codons, other than cox1, which is initiated by CGA. Three of the 13 PCGs had an incomplete termination codon, T or TA, while the others terminated with TAA. The relative synonymous codon usage of the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) was consistent with those of published lepidopteran sequences. All tRNA genes had typical clover-leaf secondary structures, except for the tRNASer(AGN), in which the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm could not form a stable stem-loop structure. The A + T-rich region of 325 bp had several distinctive features, including the motif ‘ATAGA’ followed by an 18 bp poly-T stretch, a microsatellite-like (AT)7 element, and an 11-bp poly-A present immediately upstream of tRNAMet. Relationships among 32 insect species were determined using Maximum Likelihood (ML), Neighbor Joining (NJ) and Bayesian Inference (BI) phylogenetic methods. These analyses confirm that L. salicis belongs to the Lymantriidae; and that Lymantriidae is a member of Noctuoidea, and is a sister taxon to Erebidae, Nolidae and Noctuidae, most closely related to Erebidae.

Serpin-14 negatively regulates prophenoloxidase activation and expression of antimicrobial peptides in Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi

Abstract Genes encoding proteins of serpins superfamily are widely distributed in invertebrates. In insects, serpins play important roles in regulating immune responses and other physiological processes. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of cDNA of Apserpin‐14 from Chinese oak silkworm (Antheraea pernyi). The Apserpin‐14 gene contains 1206 bp open reading frame, encoding a predicted 401 amino acid residue protein. We expressed the recombinant Apserpin‐14 protein in Escherichia coli and then purified protein was used to prepare rabbit anti‐Apserpin‐14 polyclonal antibodies. Quantitative real‐time PCR analysis revealed that mRNA level of Apserpin‐14 was highest in the fat body, whereas, among developmental stages the 5th instar and pupal stage showed greatest expression. Furthermore, Escherichia coli, Beauveria bassiana, Micrococcus luteus and nuclear polyhedrosis virus challenge enhanced Apserpin‐14 transcript in both the fat body and hemocyte. Recombinant Apserpin‐14 added to hemolymph inhibited spontaneous melanization and suppressed prophenoloxidase activation stimulated by M. luteus, but did not affect phenoloxidase (PO) activity. Injection of recombinant Apserpin‐14 protein into A. pernyi larvae significantly reduced the transcript levels of antimicrobial peptides in the fat body, while its depletion by double stranded RNA enhanced their expression. We concluded that Apserpin‐14 likely involved in regulation of proPO activation and production of antimicrobial peptides, implying its important role in the innate immune system of A. pernyi. HighlightsFull‐length cDNA of Serine Protease Inhibitor14 was identified in Antheraea pernyi.Apserpin‐14 expressed ubiquitously in all tested tissues and developmental stages.Apserpinn‐14 mRNA in fat body and hemocyte up regulate after microbial challenge.Apserpin‐14 regulates prophenol oxidase activation.Apserpin‐14 was found to regulate antimicrobial peptides.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a hemolin-like molecule from Antheraea pernyi

Hemolin belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and plays an important role in innate immune response of insects. In this study, a hemolin-like cDNA of 1418bp was obtained from Antheraea pernyi (Ap-hemolin-like). Sequence analysis revealed Ap-hemolin-like was homologous to those hemolins from other insect species. Recombinant Ap-hemolin-like protein was expressed in Escherichia coli cells, and polyclonal antibodies were produced against the recombinant proteins. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis showed that the Ap-hemolin-like was expressed in hemolymph, Malpighian tubules, midgut, epidermis and fat body, with the highest expression level in hemolymph. To investigate its role in the immune response against microorganisms, fifth instar larvae were challenged by injecting nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV), E. coli, or Beauveria bassiana. The results showed that the expression of Ap-hemolin-like in hemolymph and fat body was obviously induced by microorganisms. In addition, the recombinant Ap-hemolin-like protein promoted the agglutination of E. coli in the presence of calcium, which was confirmed by agglutination assay. These results suggested that the Ap-hemolin-like protein was involved in innate immune response of A. pernyi against pathogens.

Mitochondrial genome of the sweet potato hornworm, Agrius convolvuli (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), and comparison with other Lepidoptera species

In the present study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Agrius convolvuli (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) and compared it with previously sequenced mitogenomes of lepidopteran species. The mitogenome was a circular molecule, 15 349 base pairs (bp) long, containing 37 genes. The order and orientation of genes in the A. convolvuli mitogenome were similar to those in sequenced mitogenomes of other lepidopterans. All 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) were initiated by ATN codons, except for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, which seemed to be initiated by the codon CGA, as observed in other lepidopterans. Three of the 13 PCGs had the incomplete termination codon T, while the remainder terminated with TAA. Additionally, the codon distributions of the 13 PCGs revealed that Asn, Ile, Leu2, Lys, Phe, and Tyr were the most frequently used codon families. All transfer RNAs were folded into the expected cloverleaf structure except for tRNASer(AGN), which lacked a stable dihydrouridine arm. The length of the adenine (A) + thymine (T)-rich region was 331 bp. This region included the motif ATAGA followed by a 19-bp poly-T stretch and a microsatellite-like (TA)8 element next to the motif ATTTA. Phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods) showed that A. convolvuli belongs to the family Sphingidae.