Uric acid metabolism promotes apoptosis against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in silkworm, Bombyx mori

Abstract

The white epidermis of silkworms is due to the accumulation of uric acid crystals. Abnormal silkworm uric acid metabolism decreases uric acid production, leading to a transparent or translucent phenotype. The oily silkworm op50 is a mutant strain with a highly transparent epidermis derived from the p50 strain. It shows more susceptibility to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection than the wild type; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. This study analysed the changes in 34 metabolites in p50 and op50 at different times following BmNPV infection based on comparative metabolomics. The differential metabolites were mainly clustered in six metabolic pathways. Of these, the uric acid pathway was identified as critical for resistance in silkworms, as feeding with inosine significantly enhanced larval resistance compared to other metabolites and modulated other metabolic pathways. Additionally, the increased level of resistance to BmNPV in inosine‐fed silkworms was associated with the regulation of apoptosis, which is mediated by the reactive oxygen species produced during uric acid synthesis. Furthermore, feeding the industrial strain Jingsong (JS) with inosine significantly increased the level of larval resistance to BmNPV, indicating its potential application in controlling the virus in sericulture. These results lay the foundation for clarifying the resistance mechanism of silkworms to BmNPV and provide new strategies and methods for the biological control of pests.

Jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) Nanocrystalline Cellulose Inhibits Insect Virus via Gut Microbiota and Metabolism

“…Uric acids, the final metabolite in purine metabolism, was up-regulated to 1.32, 1.59, and 2.56 fold changes in the NCC, IAPV, and IAPV-NCC groups, respectively, compared to the control group (Table S2). Uric acid is an essential antioxidant for survival and makes a substantial contribution to longevity and immunity in mammals and insects. , It has been reported that uric acid metabolism promotes the immune pathway, such as apoptosis, against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in silkworm . These results suggested that purine metabolism is critical for IAPV infection, and JNCC can promote the content of uric acid in purine metabolism.…”

“…Uric acid is an essential antioxidant for survival and makes a substantial contribution to longevity and immunity in mammals and insects. 51,52 It has been reported that uric acid metabolism promotes the immune pathway, such as apoptosis, against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in silkworm. 52 These results suggested that purine metabolism is critical for IAPV infection, and JNCC can promote the content of uric acid in purine metabolism.…”

Studying the role of Bombyx mori molybdenum cofactor sulfurase in Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection

“…Previous studies have found that the UA metabolic pathway inhibits the proliferation of BmNPV by activating the apoptotic pathway (Su et al, 2023); however, the function of MoCoS , one of the key genes in this pathway, is unknown. In this study, we have validated the pivotal function of BmMoCoS in facilitating BmNPV infection, primarily attributed to its regulatory role in the UA pathway.…”

“…Prior research has demonstrated that the disruption of BmMoCoS expression results in oily traits in silkworm (Fujii et al, 2016). These oily silkworms exhibit heightened susceptibility to BmNPV, and UA has been found to activate apoptosis, thereby impeding BmNPV infection (Su et al, 2023). However, thus far, no direct evidence has been provided to establish the link between BmMoCoS and UA metabolism.…”

“…The UA was treated with a C012‐2‐1 UA detection kit (Njjcbio, Jiangsu, China) and detected at 510 nm using the Spectramax i3 multi‐functional microplate reader (Molecular Devices, CA, USA). The kit has been used to detect UA contents in silkworm (Su et al, 2023; Tang et al 2021b).…”