School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China.
Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China.
J Invertebr Pathol. 2021 Feb;179:107537. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2021.107537. Epub 2021 Jan 17.
Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) is one of the greatest threats to sustainable development of the sericulture industry. Circular RNA (circRNA), a type of non-coding RNA, has been shown to play important roles in gene expression regulation, immune response, and diseases. The fat body is a tissue with both metabolic and immune functions. To explore the potential immune function of circRNAs, we analyzed differentially expressed (DE)circRNAs, microRNAs(miRNAs), and mRNAs in the B. mori fat body in response to BmNPV infection using high-throughput RNA sequencing. A total of 77 DEcircRNAs, 32 DEmiRNAs, and 730 DEmRNAs that are associated with BmNPV infection were identified. We constructed a DEcircRNA/DEmiRNA/DEmRNA and DEcircRNA/DEmiRNA/BmNPV gene regulatory network and validated the differential expression of circ_0001432 and its corresponding miRNA (miR-2774c and miR-3406-5p) and mRNA (778467 and 101745232) in the network. Tissue-specific expression of circ_0001432 and its expression at different time points were also examined. KEGG pathway analysis of DEmRNAs, target genes of DEmiRNAs, and host genes of DEcircRNAs in the network showed that these genes were enriched in several metabolic pathways and signaling pathways, which could play important roles in insect immune responses. Our results suggest that circRNA could be involved in immune responses of the B. mori fat body and help in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying silkworm-pathogen interactions.
家蚕核型多角体病毒（BmNPV）是蚕桑业可持续发展的最大威胁之一。环状 RNA（circRNA）是一种非编码 RNA，已被证明在基因表达调控、免疫反应和疾病中发挥重要作用。脂肪体是一种具有代谢和免疫功能的组织。为了探索 circRNA 的潜在免疫功能，我们使用高通量 RNA 测序分析了 BmNPV 感染后家蚕脂肪体中差异表达的（DE）circRNA、microRNAs（miRNAs）和 mRNAs。共鉴定出 77 个 DEcircRNA、32 个 DEmiRNA 和 730 个与 BmNPV 感染相关的 DEmRNA。我们构建了 DEcircRNA/DEmiRNA/DEmRNA 和 DEcircRNA/DEmiRNA/BmNPV 基因调控网络，并验证了网络中 circ_0001432 及其对应的 miRNA（miR-2774c 和 miR-3406-5p）和 mRNA（778467 和 101745232）的差异表达。还检测了 circ_0001432 的组织特异性表达及其在不同时间点的表达。网络中 DEmRNAs、DEmiRNAs 的靶基因和 DEcircRNAs 的宿主基因的 KEGG 通路分析表明，这些基因富集在几个代谢途径和信号通路中，这可能在家蚕免疫反应中发挥重要作用。我们的研究结果表明 circRNA 可能参与了家蚕脂肪体的免疫反应，有助于理解蚕与病原体相互作用的分子机制。
