Molecular Mechanisms of Insect Immune Responses

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2023) | Viewed by 2252

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: lepidoptera; ecology and evolution; protein purification; invertebrates; gene; cell culture; RNA Interference; host–pathogen interaction; mosquitoes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects encompass the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet, having adapted to almost every type of ecological niche. They are attacked by a variety of pathogens throughout their life cycle, resulting in disease outbreaks. To protect themselves from these harmful invaders, insects have evolved effective immune systems comprising humoral and cellular responses. Using model insects and genetic and genomic technologies, modern research has identified various signalling pathways that are activated in response to microbial infections. However, a range of research areas require further investigation so that the mechanisms of insect immune responses may be comprehensively understood. For example, studies exploring how insect immune systems detect pathogens and how effectively they respond to single or combined interactions are imperative. Another challenge is presented by the need to elucidate the involvement of noncoding RNAs, including miRNA and lncRNAs, in the innate immune mechanisms via cutting-edge bioinformatics and experimental methodologies, as these ncRNAs are thought to be important in the regulation of gene expression. Furthermore, how all these factors/systems cooperate with each other to completely or partially eliminate pathogens is an area of significant interest. A better understanding of the immune responses of insects could considerably improve our ability to control insect vector species and harmful agricultural pests.

Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Abbas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • evolution of innate immunity
  • pathogen detection mechanisms
  • host–pathogen interaction
  • influence of ncRNAs on insect immunity
  • effect of environmental changes on immunity
  • behavioural insect immunity

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

19 pages, 1348 KiB  
Review
The Potential Biological Roles of Circular RNAs in the Immune Systems of Insects to Pathogen Invasion
by Muhammad Nadeem Abbas, Saima Kausar, Isma Gul, Jisheng Li, Huijuan Yu, Mengyao Dong and Hongjuan Cui
Genes 2023, 14(4), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14040895 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2002
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly discovered class of endogenously expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). They are highly stable, covalently closed molecules that frequently exhibit tissue-specific expression in eukaryotes. A small number of circRNAs are abundant and have been remarkably conserved throughout evolution. Numerous [...] Read more.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly discovered class of endogenously expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). They are highly stable, covalently closed molecules that frequently exhibit tissue-specific expression in eukaryotes. A small number of circRNAs are abundant and have been remarkably conserved throughout evolution. Numerous circRNAs are known to play important biological roles by acting as microRNAs (miRNAs) or protein inhibitors (‘sponges’), by regulating the function of proteins, or by being translated themselves. CircRNAs have distinct cellular functions due to structural and production differences from mRNAs. Recent advances highlight the importance of characterizing circRNAs and their targets in a variety of insect species in order to fully understand how they contribute to the immune responses of these insects. Here, we focus on the recent advances in our understanding of the biogenesis of circRNAs, regulation of their abundance, and biological roles, such as serving as templates for translation and in the regulation of signaling pathways. We also discuss the emerging roles of circRNAs in regulating immune responses to various microbial pathogens. Furthermore, we describe the functions of circRNAs encoded by microbial pathogens that play in their hosts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Insect Immune Responses)
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