Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>

The yellow peach moth (YPM), <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i>, is an important agricultural insect pest causing severe damage to corn in eastern China. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is an effective, eco-friendly, and promising alternative agent for controlling this insect pest. Ho...

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Main Authors: Shaohua Li, Zhiwei Kang, Xiangdong Li, Hailei Wei, Xiangchu Yin, Fangqiang Zheng, Fanghua Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Insects
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/667
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author Shaohua Li
Zhiwei Kang
Xiangdong Li
Hailei Wei
Xiangchu Yin
Fangqiang Zheng
Fanghua Liu
author_facet Shaohua Li
Zhiwei Kang
Xiangdong Li
Hailei Wei
Xiangchu Yin
Fangqiang Zheng
Fanghua Liu
author_sort Shaohua Li
collection DOAJ
description The yellow peach moth (YPM), <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i>, is an important agricultural insect pest causing severe damage to corn in eastern China. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is an effective, eco-friendly, and promising alternative agent for controlling this insect pest. However, insect immunity can limit the ability of fungal infections. In order to understand the immune response mechanism of YPM, a comparative proteomic analysis of non-infected and <i>B. bassiana</i>-infected larvae was conducted using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique. On the basis of proteomic analysis, 4195 quantifiable proteins were identified from a total of 29,155 peptides. The functions of the identified proteins were annotated in four databases (GO, COG, KEGG, and IPR). A total of 132 immune-related proteins were screened, including 46 pathogen recognition proteins, 27 extracellular signal modulation proteins, and 59 immune effectors. Furthermore, 70 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, including 57 up-regulated proteins and 13 down-regulated proteins. Among these, four DEPs were related to immunity, namely one defense protein and three peptidoglycan recognition proteins. Six randomly selected immune-related proteins associated with target genes were validated for qRT-PCR, and the results indicated that the accuracy and reliability of the proteome sequencing data were high. Taken together, the results enrich the fundamental knowledge of YPM immune responses to <i>B. bassiana</i> infection and provide a new insight into insect−pathogen interactions.
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spelling doaj-art-eabb1999e57a407f94ded0d1c58fc1c72025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-06-0116766710.3390/insects16070667Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>Shaohua Li0Zhiwei Kang1Xiangdong Li2Hailei Wei3Xiangchu Yin4Fangqiang Zheng5Fanghua Liu6College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaInstitute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, ChinaThe yellow peach moth (YPM), <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i>, is an important agricultural insect pest causing severe damage to corn in eastern China. <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> is an effective, eco-friendly, and promising alternative agent for controlling this insect pest. However, insect immunity can limit the ability of fungal infections. In order to understand the immune response mechanism of YPM, a comparative proteomic analysis of non-infected and <i>B. bassiana</i>-infected larvae was conducted using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique. On the basis of proteomic analysis, 4195 quantifiable proteins were identified from a total of 29,155 peptides. The functions of the identified proteins were annotated in four databases (GO, COG, KEGG, and IPR). A total of 132 immune-related proteins were screened, including 46 pathogen recognition proteins, 27 extracellular signal modulation proteins, and 59 immune effectors. Furthermore, 70 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, including 57 up-regulated proteins and 13 down-regulated proteins. Among these, four DEPs were related to immunity, namely one defense protein and three peptidoglycan recognition proteins. Six randomly selected immune-related proteins associated with target genes were validated for qRT-PCR, and the results indicated that the accuracy and reliability of the proteome sequencing data were high. Taken together, the results enrich the fundamental knowledge of YPM immune responses to <i>B. bassiana</i> infection and provide a new insight into insect−pathogen interactions.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/667<i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i><i>Beauveria bassiana</i>proteomicinsect immunity
spellingShingle Shaohua Li
Zhiwei Kang
Xiangdong Li
Hailei Wei
Xiangchu Yin
Fangqiang Zheng
Fanghua Liu
Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
Insects
<i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i>
<i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
proteomic
insect immunity
title Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
title_full Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
title_fullStr Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
title_short Comparative Proteomic Insights into the Immune Response of <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i> Challenged with <i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
title_sort comparative proteomic insights into the immune response of i conogethes punctiferalis i challenged with i beauveria bassiana i
topic <i>Conogethes punctiferalis</i>
<i>Beauveria bassiana</i>
proteomic
insect immunity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/667
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