Abstract
Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a major pathogen causing severe economic loss. However, the molecular mechanism of silkworm resistance to BmNPV and the interactions of this virus with the host during infection remain largely unclear. To explore the virus-binding proteins of silkworms, the midgut subcellular component proteins that may interact with BmNPV were analyzed in vitro based on one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis and far-western blotting combined with mass spectrometry (MS). A total of 24 proteins were determined to be specifically bound to budded viruses (BVs) in two subcellular fractions (mitochondria and microsomes). These proteins were involved in viral transportation, energy metabolism, apoptosis and viral propagation, and they responded to BmNPV infection with different expression profiles in different resistant strains. In particular, almost all the identified proteins were downregulated in the A35 strain following BmNPV infection. Interestingly, there were no virus-binding proteins identified in the cytosolic fraction of the silkworm midgut. Two candidate proteins, RACK1 and VDAC2, interacted with BVs, as determined with far-western blotting and reverse far-western blotting. We speculated that the proteins interacting with the virus could either enhance or inhibit the infection of the virus. The data provide comprehensive useful information for further research on the interaction of the host with BmNPV.
Highlights
The silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) was domesticated for production of silk fabrics for more than 5000 years
Previous studies reported that many proteins related to the cytoskeleton, cell apoptosis and energy metabolism are all involved in this process, and they may interact with the virus to participate in or respond to this process (Frishknecht and Way, 2001; Harries et al, 2010; Matthews et al, 2013)
Proteomics technology has been widely applied for virus-host interaction studies, to date, little information is available about the protein profile of silkworm larvae infected with B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV)
Summary
The silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) was domesticated for production of silk fabrics for more than 5000 years. Silkworm is a good model organism for production of recombinant proteins and the study of insect immunology (Goldsmith et al, 2005; Shao et al, 2012). B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a primary silkworm pathogen, and always causes serious economic losses (Jiang et al, 2012). BmNPV-Interacting Proteins From B. mori Midgut (Liu et al, 2008). BmNPV infect silkworm larval midgut cells by ODV, and infect the larger part of the larva by BVs (Sajjan and Hinchigeri, 2016). BmNPV has to rely on host proteins to complete infection and propagation (Kolegraff et al, 2006).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
