Impact of miR-120 on the immune response of Coptotermes formosanus against Metarhizium anisopliae
This study investigated the role of miR-120 in the immune response of Coptotermes formosanus against Metarhizium anisopliae through a series of experiments.First,injecting C.formosanus with miR-120 agomir to increase the level of miR-120 in C.formosanus decreased the survival rate of C.formosanus by about 35％and increased the mortality rate of C.formosanus treated with M.anisopliae to about 55％.At the same time,the repellent response of C.formosanus to M.anisopliae was significantly inhibited.Following,some experiments including the dual luciferase reporter system were performed to confirm that miR-120 targets the immune gene Draper.Finally,by injecting RNAi to knockdown of Draper and obtained results similar to those obtained after injection of miR-120 agomir.These results suggested that miR-120 inhibits the immune response of C.formosanus to M.anisopliae by inhibiting the expression of the target gene Draper,which ultimately leaded to a significant decrease in the survival rate of C.formosanus.This study will help us to better understand the immune mechanism of termites and provide a theoretical basis for the development of technical methods to inhibit termite immune responses,which will help to promote the development of biological control of termites.
Coptotermes formosanusmiR-120immune responseMetarhizium anisopliaetermite control
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