Bombyx mori cypovirus 1 (BmCPV1), a primary pathogen
of the silkworm, is a typical dsRNA virus belonging to the Reoviridae family. In this study, a total of 2520 differentially
expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by RNA-seq analysis of the
silkworm midgut after BmCPV1 infection and Gene Ontology (GO) functional
annotation showed that the DEGs predominantly functioned in binding
(molecular function), cell (cellular component), and cellular processes
(biological process). Additionally, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes
and Genomes (KEGG) functional annotation revealed that the DEGs were
mainly distributed in global and overview metabolism maps, translation,
and signal transduction. Among the identified DEGs, BmPGRP-S5 belongs to the peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) family.
Previous studies have revealed that PGRPs were involved in the interactions
between silkworm and BmCPV1. Here, we explored the effect of BmPGRP-S5
on BmCPV1 replication and demonstrated that BmPGRP-S5 promotes the
proliferation of BmCPV1 in BmN cells through overexpression or knockdown
experiments. Knocking down of BmPGRP-S5 in silkworm
larvae similarly promoted the proliferation of BmCPV1. Through experimental
validation, we therefore determined that BmPGRP-S5 acts as a proviral
host factor for BmCPV1 infection. This study clarifies the proliferation
mechanism of BmCPV1 and provides new insights into the functional
role of BmPGRP-S5.