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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #408080
Research Project: GxExM Systems Approach to Crop Disease Management

Location: Soil Dynamics Research

Title: Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying the insect-virus interactions

Author
item Zhao, Chaoyang
item Valles, Steven

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2023
Publication Date: 11/7/2023
Citation: Zhao, C., Valles, S.M. 2023. Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying the insect-virus interactions. Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meetings, National Harbor, MD. Nov. 5-8, 2023.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the insect-virus interactions, virus is driven to take over the host cellular machinery to propagate and spread, while insect strives to prevent or moderate such processes as a defense response. The molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions have been investigated in some insect-virus systems, but not in the system of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), an important invasive species that has caused severe economic losses in the United States, and its pathogenic viruses. To understand how S. invicta interacts with SINV-1, the first discovered fire ant-infecting virus, at the molecular level, we constructed a S. invicta cDNA library and cloned three main capsid protein genes (VP1, VP2, and VP3) of SINV-1 for yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) protein-protein interaction assay. In spite that Y2H screening against the fire ant cDNA library did not identify a VP3-interacting gene in the ant, several yeast clones appeared to harbor insect genes that could interact with VP1 and VP2, respectively. Pairwise Y2H assay indicated that three S. invicta genes, namely cysteine-rich protein 1, guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(I)/G(S)/G(T) subunit beta-1 (GNB1), and proteasome subunit beta type-1 (PSMB1), interacted with VP2 positively. While cysteine-rich protein genes in plants and insects may be involved in host immunity, GNB1 and PSMB1 are key component genes of the host GPCR and ubiquitin-proteasome signaling pathways, respectively, which can be the targets for pathogens to hijack for infection. Biological functions of these ant genes and their interactions with SINV-1 await further investigation.