Molecular mechanism by which Apis cerana cerana MKK6 (AccMKK6)-mediated MAPK cascades regulate the oxidative stress response

Abstract

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MKKs) are important components of the MAPK signaling pathways, which play a key role in responding to stress and inflammatory stimuli. Here, a new MKK gene, AccMKK6, was identified and functionally analyzed in Apis cerana cerana. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the AccMKK6 expression level was up-regulated by several environmental stresses. Moreover, the knockdown of AccMKK6 by RNA interference technology altered the expression levels of some antioxidant genes. In addition, the knockdown of AccMKK6 resulted in increased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreased antioxidant-related enzymes activity in honeybees. To explore the MAPK signaling pathways involved in AccMKK6, we identified the transcription factor kayak in A. cerana cerana. We analyzed the interactions of AccMKK6, Accp38b, and Acckayak using the yeast two-hybrid system. AccMKK6 and Acckayak showed similar expression profiles after several stress treatments. In addition, the expression level of Acckayak was significantly increased when AccMKK6 was silenced. Therefore, we speculate that AccMKK6 may be involved in the MAPK cascades, which play a crucial role in counteracting oxidative stress caused by external stimuli.

Induction of oxidative stress, apoptosis and DNA damage by koumine in Tetrahymena thermophila

“…MPK1 and MPK3 are critical components of MAP kinase signaling and their expressions were related to oxidative stress [28, 29]. Studies have shown that oxidative stress may be regulated by MAPK pathway [55, 56, 57]. In our study, MPK1 and MPK3 increased significantly at 0.8 mg/mL koumine and suggested that koumine may involve oxidative stress through the MAPK pathway.…”

Molecular Mechanism of the UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 2B20-like Gene (AccUGT2B20-like) in Pesticide Resistance of Apis cerana cerana

“…Previous reports have suggested that when AccGSTO2 is knocked down, most antioxidant-related gene expression is reduced (Zhang et al, 2016). Wang reported that AccSOD1, AccSOD2, AccGSTS4, AccCYP4G11, AccGSTO2, and AccGSTD was downregulated when AccMKK6 was knocked down (Wang et al, 2018b). To further investigate the gene function of AccUGT2B20-like and the relationship between AccUGT2B20-like and oxidation-related genes, AccUGT2B20like gene was silenced.…”

“…Total RNA for first-strand complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis was extracted from experimental honeybees using the method described by Wang (Wang et al, 2018b). RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA using 5 × All-In-One RT MasterMix with the AccuRT Genomic DNA Removal Kit (Applied Biological Materials Inc., Richmond, British Columbia, Canada), which facilitated the elimination of contaminating genomic DNA from RNA.…”

“…To silence the AccUGT2B20-like gene, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA) were synthesized using the T7 RiboMAXTM Express RNAi System (Promega, United States) following the manufacturer's instructions (Wang et al, 2018b). The dsRNA of the green fluorescent protein (GFP; GenBank accession No.…”

Role of c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase‐mediated mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway in response to pesticides in Apis cerana cerana

“…Pesticides cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in insects (Wang et al ., 2016), leading to an imbalance between antioxidant defenses and ROS production. To reduce the impact of environmental stresses, insects have evolved a range of defense mechanisms (Wang et al ., 2018).…”