Host miRNAs are involved in hormonal regulation of HaSNPV-triggered climbing behaviour in Helicoverpa armigera

Songdou Zhang, Shiheng An, Kelli Hoover, Zhen Li, Xiangrui Li, Xiaoming Liu, Zhongjian Shen, Haibo Fang, Vera I.D. Ros, Qingwen Zhang, Xiaoxia Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Baculoviruses manipulate host climbing behaviour to ensure that the hosts die at elevated positions on host plants to facilitate virus proliferation and transmission, which is a process referred to as tree-top disease. However, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying tree-top disease has not been elucidated. Using transcriptome analysis, we showed that two hormone signals, juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), are key components involved in HaSNPV-induced tree-top disease in Helicoverpa armigera larvae. RNAi-mediated knockdown and exogenous hormone treatment assays demonstrated that 20E inhibits virus-induced tree-top disease, while JH mediates tree-top disease behaviour. Knockdown of BrZ2, a downstream signal of JH and 20E, promoted HaSNPV-induced tree-top disease. We also found that two miRNAs target BrZ2 and are involved in the cross-talk regulation between 20E and JH manipulating HaSNPV replication, time to death and HaSNPV-induced tree-top disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)459-475
Number of pages17
JournalMolecular ecology
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Genetics

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