Juvenile hormone (JH) contributes to the regulation of larval molting and metamorphosis in insects. Herein, we comprehensively identified 55 genes involved in JH biosynthesis, metabolism and signaling in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) as well as 35 in Drosophila melanogaster, 35 in Anopheles gambiae, 36 in Apis mellifera, 47 in Tribolium castaneum, and 44 in Danaus plexippus. Comparative analysis showed that each gene involved in the early steps of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, in the neuropeptide regulation of JH biosynthesis, or in JH signaling is a single copy in B. mori and other surveyed insects, indicating that these JH-related pathways or steps are likely conserved in all surveyed insects. However, each gene participating in the isoprenoid branch of JH biosynthesis and JH metabolism, together with the FPPS genes for catalyzing the final step of the MVA pathway of JH biosynthesis, exhibited an obvious duplication in Lepidoptera, including B. mori and D. plexippus. Microarray and real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that different copies of several JH-related genes presented expression changes that correlated with the dynamics of JH titer during larval growth and metamorphosis. Taken together, the findings suggest that duplication-derived copy variation of JH-related genes might be evolutionarily associated with the variation of JH types between Lepidoptera and other insect orders. In conclusion, our results provide useful clues for further functional analysis of JH-related genes in B. mori and other insects.

Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) belongs to the deltaretrovirus family and has been linked to multiple diseases. However, the innate host defense against HTLV-1 is unclear. In this study, we report that the expression of Ku70, a known DNA sensor against DNA viruses, could be induced by HTLV-1 infection in HeLa, PMA-differentiated THP1 cells, primary human monocytes, and human monocyte-derived macrophages. In these cells, the overexpression of Ku70 inhibited the HTLV-1 protein expression, whereas the knockdown of Ku70 promoted the HTLV-1 protein expression. Furthermore, the overexpression of Ku70 enhanced the cellular response to HTLV-1 infection, whereas Ku70 knockdown yielded the opposite effect. Additionally, Ku70 was found to interact with HTLV-1 reverse transcription intermediate ssDNA90. ssDNA90 stimulation induced Ku70 expression and Ku70 promoted ssDNA90-triggered innate immune responses. Finally, HTLV-1 infection enhanced the association between Ku70 and stimulator of IFN genes, suggesting that stimulator of IFN genes was involved in Ku70-mediated host defenses against HTLV-1 infection. Taken together, our findings suggest a new sensor that detects HTLV-1 reverse transcription intermediate and controls HTLV-1 replication. These findings may provide new angles to understand host defenses against HTLV-1 infection and HTLV-1-associated diseases.

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BackgroundTrichomonas vaginalis (TV) is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease, worldwide. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and genetic characterization of T. vaginalis and contrasted the most prevalent strains of T. vaginalis isolated from Xinxiang City, Henan Province, China.ResultsIn Xinxiang from September 2015 to September 2017, a total of 267 (1.64%, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.45–1.85) clinical T. vaginalis-positive samples from vaginal secretions were observed by wet mount microscopy from 16,294 women with some clinical symptoms of trichomoniasis. We found that trichomoniasis frequently occurred in the 21- to 40-year-old age group and in winter. After the 267 clinical T. vaginalis positive samples were cultured, 68 isolates of T. vaginalis were harvested and identified as genotype E (58.82%), H (17.65%), mixed 1 (17.65%) and mixed 2 (5.88%) using a sensitive and reliable polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) typing method on the actin gene. The phylogenetic diversity analysis showed that the genotype E samples fell within a separate clade compared to the other T. vaginalis isolates, while the samples of the genotype H separated into two clades.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate a notable gene polymorphism of clinical isolates from the targeted population and provide insight into the performance of these genetic markers in the molecular epidemiology of trichomoniasis. However, further studies are needed to clarify the association between a certain genotype and the pathogenicity of T. vaginalis.