Carbohydrate metabolism is a determinant for the host specificity of baculovirus infections

Chih-Hsuan Tsai; Yi-Chi Chuang; Yun-Heng Lu; Chia-Yang Lin; Cheng-Kang Tang; Sung-Chan Wei; Yueh-Lung Wu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103648

Carbohydrate metabolism is a determinant for the host specificity of baculovirus infections

iScience. 2021 Dec 18;25(1):103648. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103648. eCollection 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Chih-Hsuan Tsai¹, Yi-Chi Chuang¹, Yun-Heng Lu¹, Chia-Yang Lin¹, Cheng-Kang Tang¹, Sung-Chan Wei¹, Yueh-Lung Wu¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, 27 Lane 113, Roosevelt Road Sec. 4, Taipei 106, Taiwan.

Abstract

Baculoviruses Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) have highly similar genome sequences but exhibit no overlap in their host range. After baculovirus infects nonpermissive larvae (e.g., AcMNPV infecting B. mori or BmNPV infecting Spodoptera litura), we found that stored carbohydrates, including hemolymph trehalose and fat body glycogen, are rapidly transformed into glucose; enzymes involved in glycolysis and the TCA cycle are upregulated and produce more ATP; adenosine signaling that regulates glycolytic activity is also increased. Subsequently, phagocytosis in cellular immunity and the expression of genes involved in humoral immunity increase significantly. Moreover, inhibiting glycolysis and the expression of gloverins in nonpermissive hosts increased baculovirus infectivity, indicating that the stimulated energy production is designed to support the immune response against infection. Our study highlights that alteration of the host's carbohydrate metabolism is an important factor determining the host specificity of baculoviruses, in addition to viral factors.

Keywords: Immunology; Microbiology; Virology.