Molecular Mechanisms of Insect Immune Responses

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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