Cao Lu, Yin Siying, Liu Dexu, Tang Yunlin, Yang Wenxin, Ran Maoshuang, Chen Jie, Pan Guoqing, Zhou Zeyang, Bao Jialing
The State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
mSphere. 2025 Aug 26;10(8):e0009525. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00095-25. Epub 2025 Jul 22.
() infection causes growth retardation and indigestion of silkworms (). The digestive tract is the primary infection route; thereby, in this study, we comprehensively investigated the disturbances of the digestive tract upon infection. Electron microscopy demonstrated the structure and integrity impairments of the peritrophic membrane and midgut after infection. A quantitative proteomic approach identified approximately 2,893 dysregulated proteins in the midgut after infection. Next, 16S rRNA and ITS analysis of the digestive juice and stool samples revealed that the gut microbiome profiles were significantly disturbed, such as bacterial genus , as well as eukaryotic , and so on. In addition, various digestive enzyme expressions were also disturbed upon infection. More interestingly, we found that chitin deacetylase BmCDA8, one of the top dysregulated host proteins, functioned as the key protective enzyme against since knocking down BmCDA8 leads to increased barrier permeability and higher loads. We also identified 24 . proteins that would potentially interact with BmCDA8. Taken together, our investigation will help to fully elucidate the impairing effects of on host and to identify novel pathogen control targets.IMPORTANCEThe digestive tract is the major infection route of many pathogens. A comprehensive view of the impairing effects of on 's digestive tract integrity, microbiome, and enzyme compositions is greatly needed. Therefore, we applied electron microscopy, quantitative proteomics, and microbiome analysis to clearly demonstrate that infections did impair host intestinal integrity, changed the gut microbiome composition, and dysregulated digestive enzymes. Interestingly, we found that the chitin deacetylase of exerts an essential protective role, and effector proteins may interact directly with it to facilitate the impairing effects. Our findings provide a comprehensive view and decode the phenomena of silkworm indigestion and growth retardation after infection and will provide potential targets for disease prevention and control.
()感染会导致家蚕生长发育迟缓以及消化不良。消化道是主要的感染途径;因此,在本研究中,我们全面调查了感染后消化道所受到的干扰。电子显微镜检查显示感染后围食膜和中肠的结构及完整性受损。定量蛋白质组学方法鉴定出感染后中肠中约2893种失调蛋白。接下来,对消化液和粪便样本进行的16S rRNA和ITS分析表明,肠道微生物群谱受到显著干扰,例如细菌属、以及真核生物、等等。此外,感染后各种消化酶的表达也受到干扰。更有趣的是,我们发现几丁质脱乙酰酶BmCDA8是失调程度最高的宿主蛋白之一,它作为对抗的关键保护酶发挥作用,因为敲低BmCDA8会导致屏障通透性增加和载量更高。我们还鉴定出24种。可能与BmCDA8相互作用的蛋白。综上所述,我们的研究将有助于充分阐明对宿主的损害作用,并确定新的病原体控制靶点。重要性消化道是许多病原体的主要感染途径。非常需要全面了解对家蚕消化道完整性、微生物群和酶组成的损害作用。因此,我们应用电子显微镜、定量蛋白质组学和微生物群分析来清楚地证明感染确实损害了宿主肠道完整性、改变了肠道微生物群组成并使消化酶失调。有趣的是,我们发现家蚕的几丁质脱乙酰酶发挥着重要的保护作用,效应蛋白可能直接与其相互作用以促进损害作用。我们的研究结果提供了一个全面的视角,并解读了感染后家蚕消化不良和生长发育迟缓的现象,将为疾病预防和控制提供潜在靶点。