Transcriptomic analysis of the fat body of resistant and susceptible silkworm strains, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera), after oral treatment with fenpropathrin.

The widespread use of pyrethroid pesticides has brought serious economic losses in sericulture, but there is still no viable solution. The key to solving the problem is to improve silkworm resistance to pesticides, which depends on understanding the resistance mechanism of silkworms to pesticides. This study aimed to use transcriptomes to understand the underlying mechanism of silkworm resistance to fenpropathrin, which will provide a theoretical molecular reference for breeding pesticide-resistant silkworm varieties. In this study, the fat bodies of two strains with differential resistance after 12 h of fenpropathrin feeding were analyzed using RNA-Seq. After feeding fenpropathrin, 760 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the p50(r) strain and 671 DEGs in the 8y strain. The DEGs involved in resistance to fenpropathrin were further identified by comparing the two strains, including 207 upregulated DEGs in p50(r) and 175 downregulated DEGs in 8y. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that these fenpropathrin-related DEGs are mainly enriched in the metabolism and transporter pathways. Moreover, 28 DEGs involved in the metabolic pathway and 18 in the transporter pathway were identified. Furthermore, organic cation transporter protein 6 (BmOCT6), a transporter pathway member, was crucial in enhancing the tolerance of BmN cells to fenpropathrin. Finally, the knockdown of the expression of the homologs of BmOCT6 in Glyphodes pyloalis (G. pyloalis) significantly decreased the resistant level of larvae to fenpropathrin. The findings showed that the metabolism and transporter pathways are associated with resistance to fenpropathrin in silkworm, and OCT6 is an effective and potential target not only for silkworm breeding but also for pest biocontrol.

Bombyx mori Ecdysone Receptor B1 May Inhibit BmNPV Infection by Triggering Apoptosis.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a serious threat to sericulture. Nevertheless, no effective control strategy is currently available. The innate immunity of silkworm is critical in the antiviral process. Exploring its molecular mechanism provides theoretical support for the prevention and treatment of BmNPV. Insect hormone receptors play an essential role in regulating host immunity. We found a correlation between Bombyx mori ecdysone receptor B1 (BmEcR-B1) and BmNPV infection, whereas the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the expression patterns and sequence characteristics of BmEcR-B1 and its isoform, BmEcR-A, were initially analyzed. BmEcR-B1 was found to be more critical than BmEcR-A in silkworm development and responses to BmNPV. Moreover, RNAi and an overexpression in BmN cells showed BmEcR-B1 had antiviral effects in the presence of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E); Otherwise, it had no antiviral activity. Furthermore, BmEcR-B1 was required for 20E-induced apoptosis, which significantly suppressed virus infection. Finally, feeding 20E had no significant negative impacts on larval growth and the cocoon shell, suggesting the regulation of this pathway has practical value in controlling BmNPV in sericulture. The findings of this study provide important theoretical support for understanding the mechanism of the silkworm innate immune system in response to BmNPV infection.

Study on the Evolution of Physical Parameters and Dynamic Compression Mechanical Properties of Granite after Different Heating and Cooling Cycles.

The study of the evolution law of basic physical parameters and dynamic compression performance of deep granite under the environment of the heating-cooling cycle is of great significance for the stability evaluation of deep underground engineering and the development of deep resources. In this study, heating-cooling cycle tests and dynamic compression tests were conducted on a large number of fine-grained granite specimens with heating temperatures from 200 to 600 °C and times from one to twenty times using a box-type high-temperature muffle furnace and Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test system, and the evolution law of basic physical parameters and dynamic compression mechanical properties of fine-grained granite were studied using theoretical and fitting analysis. The test results showed that: the changes of the basic physical parameters of granite have obvious temperature effect; 600 °C is a threshold value for the changes of each physical parameter of granite; the sensitivity of each physical parameter to the number of heating and cooling cycles is small before 600 °C; and the sensitivity of each physical parameter to the number of heating and cooling cycles significantly increases at 600 °C. The dynamic compressive strength and elastic modulus of granite decreased with the increase in heating and cooling cycles, and the maximum decrease rate was 89.1% and 85.9%, respectively, and the strain rate linearly increased with the increase in heating and cooling cycles, and the maximum strain rate was 123 s-1. The temperature, the number of heating and cooling cycles, and the impact air pressure, all had significant effects on the damage mode and crushing degree of granite.

Fumarate mitigates disruption induced by fenpropathrin in the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera): A metabolomics study.

The silkworm Bombyx mori L. is a model organism of the order Lepidoptera. Understanding the mechanism of pesticide resistance in silkworms is valuable for Lepidopteran pest control. In this study, comparative metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolites of 2 silkworm strains with different pesticide resistance levels at 6, 12, and 24 h after feeding with fenpropathrin. Twenty-six of 27 metabolites showed significant differences after fenpropathrin treatment and were classified into 6 metabolic pathways: glycerophospholipid metabolism, sulfur metabolism, glycolysis, amino acid metabolism, the urea cycle, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. After analyzing the percentage changes in the metabolic pathways at the 3 time points, sulfur metabolism, glycolysis, and the TCA cycle showed significant responses to fenpropathrin. Confirmatory experiments were performed by feeding silkworms with key metabolites of the 3 pathways. The combination of iron(II) fumarate + folic acid (IF-FA) enhanced fenpropathrin resistance in silkworms 6.38 fold, indicating that the TCA cycle is the core pathway associated with resistance. Furthermore, the disruption of several energy-related metabolic pathways caused by fenpropathrin was shown to be recovered by IF-FA in vitro. Therefore, IF-FA may have a role in boosting silkworm pesticide resistance by modulating the equilibrium between the TCA cycle and its related metabolic pathways.

Arthroscopy-assisted partial trapeziectomy combined with ligament reconstruction for thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis: A different technique.

Background: There is no consensus on the best surgery option for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA). The traditional method has the risk of large trauma, obvious metacarpal subsidence, and decreased stability. The aim of this study is to introduce a different technique to restore the function and stability of the first carpal metacarpal joint with minimal trauma, rapid pain relief, reduced complications, and the clinical outcomes in the long-term follow-up was evaluated and statistically analyzed. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 10 patients with a mean age of 51.8 years. The surgery consisted of removing partial trapezium through arthroscopy, reconstructing the stability with flexor carpi radialis suspension and tendon interposition. The subjective assessment included visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (Quick-DASH) score, and patient satisfaction. The range of motion, grip strength, pinch strength, and radiographic assessment, which can reflect stability of the thumb, were objectively evaluated and statistically analyzed. Results: Ten patients were monitored at a mean follow-up of 6.8 years. The mean grip strength improved significantly from 16.64 to 22.57 kg after surgery. Pinch strength improved significantly from 3.72 to 5.71 kg on average. The Kapandji score improved significantly from 5.7 to 8.6 on average. 80% (8/10) of the patients were satisfied with this surgery. On objective indicators, the VAS score decreased significantly from 6.4 to 1.3 on average. The mean Quick-DASH score improved significantly from 6.1 to 28.9. Postoperative x-ray showed slight subsidence and dislocation of the first metacarpal in two patients and did not affect the function by measurement. Conclusion: Arthroscopy-assisted partial trapezium resection combined with ligament reconstruction could be a workable and promising surgical technique in patients with thumb CMC OA. It can offer the advantages of minimizing surgical injury by preserving the first carpal metacarpal joint capsule to protect its stability, with a rapid pain relief, function improvement, and satisfactory results in patients' clinical measurements.

Identification of optimal reference genes in Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera) for normalization of stress-responsive genes after challenge with pesticides.

Pesticides are frequently used to control pests in agriculture due to their ease of use and effectiveness, but their use causes serious economic losses to sericulture when their production overlaps with agriculture. However, no suitable internal reference genes (RGs) have been reported in the study of silkworms in response to pesticides. In this study, a standard curve was established to detect the expression levels of seven RGs in different tissues of different silkworm strains after feeding with pesticides using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), including BmGAPDH, BmActin3, BmTBP, BmRPL3, Bm28sRNA, Bmα-tubulin, and BmUBC, and the stability of them was evaluated by using NormFinder, geNorm, Delta CT, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. The results showed that BmGAPDH and Bmα-tubulin were relatively stable in the midgut after feeding with fenvalerate, BmGAPDH and Bmactin3 were relatively stable in the fat body, and Bmα-tubulin and Bmactin3 were relatively stable in the hemolymph, indicating that Bmactin3 was the most suitable RG when evaluating fenvalerate, followed by BmGAPDH and Bmα-tubulin. Besides, BmGAPDH and Bmactin3 were relatively stable in the midgut after treatment with DDVP, BmGAPDH and Bmα-tubulin were relatively stable in the fat body, and BmGAPDH and Bmα-tubulin were relatively stable in the hemolymph, indicating that Bmα-tubulin was the most stable RG when evaluating DDVP, followed by BmGAPDH and Bmactin3. Of note, BmGAPDH was shared by the two pesticides. The results will be valuable for RG selection in studying the pesticide response mechanism of silkworms and other lepidopteran insects.

Identification of the in vitro antiviral effect of BmNedd2-like caspase in response to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is one of the most serious pathogens in sericulture, and the underlying antiviral mechanism in silkworm is still unclear. Bombyx mori Nedd2-like caspase (BmNc) has been identified as a candidate antiviral gene from previous transcriptome data, since it is differentially expressed in the midgut of differentially resistant silkworm strains following BmNPV infection. However, the molecular mechanism by which BmNc responds to BmNPV is unknown. In this study, the relationship between BmNc and BmNPV was confirmed by its significantly different expression in different tissues of differentially resistant strains after BmNPV infection. Moreover, the antiviral role of BmNc was confirmed by the significantly higher fluorescence signals of BV-eGFP after knockdown of BmNc in BmN cells, and a reduced signal after overexpression. This was further verified by the capsid gene vp39 expression, DNA copy number, and GP64 protein level in the RNAi and overexpression groups. Furthermore, the antiviral phenomenon of BmNc was found to be associated with apoptosis. In brief, BmNc showed a relatively high expression level in the metamorphosis stages, and the effect of BmNc on BmNPV infection following RNAi and overexpression was eliminated after treatment with the inducer, Silvestrol, and the inhibitor, Z-DEVD-FMK, respectively. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that BmNc is involved in anti-BmNPV infection via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The results provide valuable information for elucidating the molecular mechanism of silkworm resistance to BmNPV infection.

Bmcas-1 plays an important role in response against BmNPV infection in vitro.

Apoptosis, as one kind of innate immune system, is involved in host response against pathogens innovation. Caspases play a vital role in the execution stage of host cell apoptosis. It has been reported that Bmcaspase-1 (Bmcas-1) has a close relationship with Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection for its differentially expressed patterns after viral infection. However, its underlying response mechanism is still unclear. The significant differential expression of Bmcas-1 in different tissues of differentially resistant strains revealed its vital role in BmNPV infection. To further validate its role in BmNPV infection, budded virus (BV)-eGFP was analyzed after knockdown and overexpression of Bmcas-1 by small interfering RNA and the pIZT-mCherry vector, respectively. The reproduction of BV-eGFP obviously increased at 72 h after knockdown of Bmcas-1, and decreased after overexpression in BmN cells. Moreover, the conserved functional domain of Cas-1 among different species and the closed evolutionary relationship of Cas-1 in Lepidoptera hinted that Bmcas-1 might be associated with apoptosis, and this was also validated by the apoptosis inducer, Silvestrol, and the inhibitor, Z-DEVD-FMK. Therefore, Bmcas-1 plays an essential antiviral role by activating apoptosis, and this result lays a fundament for clarifying the molecular mechanism of silkworm in response against BmNPV infection and breeding of resistant strains.

Precocious Metamorphosis of Silkworm Larvae Infected by BmNPV in the Latter Half of the Fifth Instar.

The mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a model organism, and BmNPV is a typical baculovirus. Together, these organisms form a useful model to investigate host-baculovirus interactions. Prothoracic glands (PGs) are also model organs, used to investigate the regulatory effect of synthetic ecdysone on insect growth and development. In this study, day-4 fifth instar silkworm larvae were infected with BmNPV. Wandering silkworms appeared in the infected groups 12 h earlier than in the control groups, and the ecdysone titer in infected larvae was significantly higher than that of the control larvae. We then used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze silkworm PGs 48 h after BmNPV infection. We identified 15 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were classified as mainly being involved in metabolic processes and pathways. All 15 DEGs were expressed in the PGs, of which Novel01674, BmJing, and BmAryl were specifically expressed in the PGs. The transcripts of BmNGDN, BmTrypsin-1, BmACSS3, and BmJing were significantly increased, and BmPyd3, BmTitin, BmIGc2, Novel01674, and BmAryl were significantly decreased from 24 to 72 h in the PGs after BmNPV infection. The changes in the transcription of these nine genes were generally consistent with the transcriptome data. The upregulation of BmTrypsin-1 and BmACSS3 indicate that these DEGs may be involved in the maturation process in the latter half of the fifth instar of silkworm larvae. These findings further our understanding of silkworm larval development, the interaction between BmNPV infection and the host developmental response, and host-baculovirus interactions in general.

Response of Resistant and Susceptible Bayberry Cultivars to Infection of Twig Blight Pathogen by Histological Observation and Gibberellin Related Genes Expression.

Bayberry is an important fruit tree native to the subtropical regions of China. However, a systematic twig blight disease caused by Pestalotiopsis versicolor and P. microspora, resulted in the death of the whole tree of bayberry. The main variety Dongkui is highly sensitive to the twig blight disease, but the variety Zaojia is very highly resistant to the disease. Therefore, it is very necessary to clear the difference between resistant and susceptible varieties in response to the fungal infection. In this paper, we investigated the response of resistant and susceptible bayberry cultivars to infection of twig blight pathogen by histological observation and gibberellin signaling pathway-related genes expression. Microscopic observation revealed the difference in the infection process between resistant and susceptible varieties. The results of frozen scanning electron microscopy showed that the Pestalotiopsis conidia were shrunk, the mycelium was shriveled and did not extend into the cells of resistant cultivars, while the conidia were full and the top was extended, the mycelia was normal and continued to extend to the cells of a susceptible cultivar. Indeed, the medulla cells were almost intact in resistant cultivar, but obviously damaged in susceptible cultivar after inoculation of the main fungal pathogen P. versicolor conidia, which is earlier germinated on sterile glass slide than that of a hard plastic slide. The quantitative real-time PCR results showed a significant difference between resistant and susceptible cultivars in the expression of gibberellin signaling pathway-related genes in leaves and stems of bayberry, which is closely related to infection time, the type of genes and varieties. Overall, this study provides a clue for our understanding of the resistance mechanism of bayberry against the twig blight disease.

The validation of the role of several genes related to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection in vivo.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is one of primary silkworm pathogens and causes a serious damage of cocoon losses every year. Recent years, many works have been done to clarify the silkworm anti-BmNPV mechanism, and a significant progress has been made in screening and studying of genes and proteins related to BmNPV infection, but several of them lacked the proofs in vivo. In this study, to further validate the function of seven newly reported genes in vivo, including BmAtlatin-n, Bmferritin-heavy chain (BmFerHCH), Bmthymosin (BmTHY), Bmseroin1, Bmseroin2, Bmnuclear hormone receptors 96 (BmNHR96), and BmE3 ubiquitin-protein ligase SINA-like 10 (BmSINAL10), the response of them in the midgut, fat body, and hemolymph of differentially resistant strains (resistant strain YeA and susceptible strain YeB) at 48 h following BmNPV infection were analyzed. The results showed that the relative stable or upregulated expression level of BmAtlatin-n, BmTHY, Bmseroin1, and Bmseroin2 in YeA resistant strain following BmNPV infection further indicated their antiviral role in vivo, compared with susceptible YeB strain. Moreover, the significant downregulation of BmFerHCH, BmNHR96, and BmSINAL10 in both strains following BmNPV infection revealed their role in benefiting virus infection, as well as the upregulation of BmFerHCH in YeB midgut and BmSINAL10 in YeB hemolymph. These data could be used to complementary the proofs of the function of these genes in response to BmNPV infection.

Bmapaf-1 is Involved in the Response against BmNPV Infection by the Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway.

Discovery of the anti-BmNPV (Bombyx mori nuclearpolyhedrovirus) silkworm strain suggests that some kind of antiviral molecular mechanism does exist but is still unclear. Apoptosis, as an innate part of the immune system, plays an important role in the response against pathogen infections and may be involved in the anti-BmNPV infection. Several candidate genes involved in the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were identified from our previous study. Bombyx mori apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (Bmapaf-1) was one of them, but the antiviral mechanism is still unclear. In this study, sequences of BmApaf-1 were characterized. It was found to contain a unique transposase_1 functional domain and share high CARD and NB-ARC domains with other species. Relatively high expression levels of Bmapaf-1 were found at key moments of embryonic development, metamorphosis, and reproductive development. Further, the significant difference in expression of Bmapaf-1 in different tissues following virus infection indicated its close relationship with BmNPV, which was further validated by RNAi and overexpression in BmN cells. Briefly, infection of budded virus with enhanced green fluorescent protein (BV-EGFP) was significantly inhibited at 72 h after overexpression of Bmapaf-1, which was confirmed after knockdown of Bmapaf-1 with siRNA. Moreover, the downstream genes of Bmapaf-1, including Bmnedd2-like caspase (BmNc) and Bmcaspase-1 (Bmcas-1), were upregulated after overexpression of Bmapaf-1 in BmN cells, which was consistent with the RNAi results. Furthermore, the phenomenon of Bmapaf-1 in response to BmNPV infection was determined to be related to apoptosis using the apoptosis inducer NSC348884 and inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK. Therefore, Bmapaf-1 is involved in the response against BmNPV infection by the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. This result provides valuable data for clarifying the anti-BmNPV mechanism of silkworms and breeding of resistant silkworm strains.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Digestive Juice across the First 48 Hours of the Fifth Instar in Silkworm Larvae.

The silkworm is an oligophagous insect for which mulberry leaves are the sole diet. The nutrients needed for vital activities of the egg, pupal, and adult stages, and the proteins formed in the cocoon, are all derived from the larval stages. The silkworm feeds and grows quickly during the larval stages. In particular, the amount of leaf ingested and digested quickly increases from the ecdysis to the gluttonous stage in the fifth instar period. In this study, we used the iTRAQ proteomic technique to identify and analyze silkworm larval digestive juice proteins during this period. A total of 227 proteins were successfully identified. These were primarily serine protease activity, esterase activity, binding, and serine protease inhibitors, which were mainly involved in the digestion and overcoming the detrimental effects of mulberry leaves. Moreover, 30 genes of the identified proteins were expressed specifically in the midgut. Temporal proteomic analysis of digestive juice revealed developmental dynamic features related to molecular mechanisms of the principal functions of digesting, resisting pathogens, and overruling the inhibitory effects of mulberry leaves protease inhibitors (PIs) with a dynamic strategy, although overruling the inhibitory effects has not yet been confirmed by previous study. These findings will help address the potential functions of digestive juice in silkworm larvae.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Immune Competence in Hemolymph of Bombyx mori Pupa Parasitized by Silkworm Maggot Exorista sorbillans.

The silkworm maggot, Exorista sorbillans, is a well-known larval endoparasitoid of the silkworm Bombyx mori that causes considerable damage to the silkworm cocoon crop. To gain insights into the response mechanism of the silkworm at the protein level, we applied a comparative proteomic approach to investigate proteomic differences in the hemolymph of the female silkworm pupae parasitized by E. sorbillans. In total, 50 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were successfully identified, of which 36 proteins were upregulated and 14 proteins were downregulated in response to parasitoid infection. These proteins are mainly involved in disease, energy metabolism, signaling pathways, and amino acid metabolism. Eight innate immune proteins were distinctly upregulated to resist maggot parasitism. Apoptosis-related proteins of cathepsin B and 14-3-3 zeta were significantly downregulated in E. sorbillans-parasitized silkworm pupae; their downregulation induces apoptosis. Quantitative PCR was used to further verify gene transcription of five DEPs, and the results are consistent at the transcriptional and proteomic levels. This was the first report on identification of possible proteins from the E. bombycis-parasitized silkworms at the late stage of parasitism, which contributes to furthering our understanding of the response mechanism of silkworms to parasitism and dipteran parasitoid biology.

Bmsage is involved in the determination of cell number in the silk gland of Bombyx mori.

The number of cells in tissues is under strict genetic control, and research on the determination of cell number is of great importance to understand the growth and development of organs. Bmsage, a bHLH transcription factor, is involved in the development of the silk gland during the embryonic stage in Bombyx mori. However, the mechanism by which it influences silk gland development is unclear. In the present study, we determined via immunofluorescence staining during the embryonic stage of Bombyx mori that Bmsage is expressed in silk gland cells from the beginning of development of the silk gland until its complete formation. By comparing different silkworm strains, we found that Bmsage expression is positively correlated with the number of silk gland cells. Bmsage knockdown by RNAi resulted in shorter silk glands and lower cell numbers, especially in the posterior silk gland. The silk gland lumen also shriveled, and the silk protein content was significantly lower than that in the control. Further investigation revealed that all cyclins decreased after knock down of Bmsage, and cyclin B and cyclin 3 were significantly down-regulated. Bmsage may be involved in the regulation of the cyclin pathway to control silk gland development. Taken together, it can be concluded from our results that Bmsage is involved in the determination of cell number in silk glands. Our results help clarify the process of cell number determination in silk gland and identify a potential target for silkworm breeding.

A 1H NMR based study of hemolymph metabonomics in different resistant silkworms, Bombyx mori (Lepidotera), after BmNPV inoculation.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a primary silkworm pathogen, and the molecular mechanism of silkworm defense to BmNPV infection is still unclear. Herein, comparative metabolomics was adopted to analyze the variations in the hemolymph metabolites of different resistant silkworm strains following BmNPV inoculation using a 1H NMR method. Trehalose, as an instant source of energy, plays a crucial role in the response to pathogen infections in insects. The level of trehalose was persistently upregulated in the hemolymph of the resistant silkworm strain YeA following infection with BmNPV, compared to that of the susceptible strain YeB, indicating that trehalose metabolism plays a vital role in the response to BmNPV infection. The significant upregulation of TCA cycle relevant metabolites, including malate, fumarate, citrate, succinate, and α-ketoglutarate, was identified at 0 h, 12 h, 48 h, and 96 h post-infection in YeA hemolymph, whereas a significant upregulation in YeB hemolymph was only detected at an early stage of infection (0 h-24 h). The expression level of selected key metabolic enzymes, determined using RT-qPCR, validated the differences in trehalose and TCA cycle relevant metabolite levels. The variations in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) pathway relevant metabolites in resistant silkworm strains following BmNPV infection showed a regular undulation at different times after infection. A significant accumulation of phenylalanine and tyrosine was observed in YeA following BmNPV infection compared to YeB. The glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways showed a relatively low activity in YeA following BmNPV infection. Moreover, the levels of other metabolites related to fat metabolism, transamination, energy metabolism, and glycometabolism, such as glycine, threonine, glutamine, and glutamate, were unstable in the two silkworm strains following BmNPV infection. Thus, our study provides an overview of the metabolic response of the silkworm in response to BmNPV infection, which lays the foundation for clarifying the mechanism of silkworm resistance to BmNPV infection.

Knockdown of BmTCP-1ß Delays BmNPV Infection in vitro.

The molecular mechanism of silkworm resistance to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection remains unclear. The chaperonin containing t-complex polypeptide 1 (TCP-1) is essential for the folding of tubulin and actin to produce stable and functional competent protein conformation. However, little is known about this protein in silkworm. In the present study, a gene encoding the TCP-1ß protein in silkworm was characterized, which has an open reading fragment of 1,611 bp encoding a predicted 536 amino acid residue-protein with a molecular weight of approximately 57.6 kDa containing a Cpn60_TCP1 functional domain. The sequence conservation is 81.52%. The highest level of BmTCP-1ß mRNA expression was found in the midgut, while the lowest was in the hemolymph. To further study the function of BmTCP-1ß, expression was knocked down with siRNA in vitro, resulting in significant downregulation of the selected cytoskeletal-related genes, actin and tubulin, which was also confirmed by overexpression of BmTCP-1ß in BmN cells using the pIZT/V5-His-mCherry insect vector. Moreover, knockdown of BmTCP-1ß significantly prolonged the infection process of BmNPV in BmN cells, which was also verified by overexpression of BmTCP-1ß in BmN cells. Based on the results of the present study, we concluded that BmTCP-1ß plays a vital role in BmNPV infection by regulating the expression of tubulin and actin. Taken together, our work provides valuable data for the clarification of the molecular mechanism of silkworm resistance to BmNPV infection.

The regulation of crecropin-A and gloverin 2 by the silkworm Toll-like gene 18 wheeler in immune response.

The innate immune system is conserved among different insect species in its response to microorganism infection. The transmembrane receptors of the Toll superfamily play an important role in activating immune response, however, the function of silkworm Toll family member 18 Wheeler (18 W) remained unclear. Here, the 18w gene in silkworm was characterized. A relatively high transcription level of Bm18w mRNA was found in Malpighian tubules, and in eggs, larvae pre-molt to fourth instar, pupae and adults. When silkworm larvae were infected with E. coli or S. aureus, Bm18w showed a significant response, especially to E. coli, but did not have antibacterial activity. To further identify the downstream antimicrobial peptide genes of Bm18w, expression of Bm18w was knocked down with siRNA in vitro, resulting in significant decreases of cecropin-A, gloverin 2, and moricin B3. The overexpression of Bm18w was carried out using pIZT/V5-His-mCherry insect vector in BmN cells and significant upregulation of cecropin-A and gloverin 2 was detected, as well as upregulation of attacin and defensin. Based on the results, we concluded that Bm18w is involved in response to bacterial infection by selectively inducing the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes, especially cecropin-A and gloverin 2. This study provides valuable data to supplement understanding of the immune pathway of the silkworm.

Effect of Graded Facetectomy on Lumbar Biomechanics.

Facetectomy is an important intervention for spinal stenosis but may lead to spinal instability. Biomechanical knowledge for facetectomy can be beneficial when deciding whether fusion is necessary. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanical effect of different grades of facetectomy. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model of L3-L5 was constructed. The mobility of the model and the intradiscal pressure (IDP) of L4-L5 for standing were inside the data from the literature. The effect of graded facetectomy on intervertebral rotation, IDP, facet joint forces, and maximum von Mises equivalent stresses in the annuli was analyzed under flexion, extension, left/right lateral bending, and left/right axial rotation. Compared with the intact model, under extension, unilateral facetectomy increased the range of intervertebral rotation (IVR) by 11.7% and IDP by 10.7%, while the bilateral facetectomy increased IVR by 40.7% and IDP by 23.6%. Under axial rotation, the unilateral facetectomy and the bilateral facetectomy increased the IVR by 101.3% and 354.3%, respectively, when turned to the right and by 1.1% and 265.3%, respectively, when turned to the left. The results conclude that, after unilateral and bilateral facetectomy, care must be taken when placing the spine into extension and axial rotation posture from the biomechanical point of view.