Nucleopolyhedrovirus Induces Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling in the Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) is known to playa key role as a negative feedback regulator in JAK/STAT signaling cascade in innate immunity. Our laboratory has recently been interested in elucidating the interactions between Spodoptera exigua (Se) and SeNPV. This context leads us to clone and characterize SeSOCS that may have important functions in response to SeNPV infection. Using the RT-PCR and TA cloning approach, we found a partial fragment (416 bp) of SeSOCS. Blast search and multiple alignment data showed that it has a homology to various insects such as Anopheles gambiae (78%), Aedes aegypti (75%), Drosophila melanogastar (77%), Mus musculus (69%), and Homo sapiens (69%). Temporal induction patterns of SeSOCS were analysed after being immune-challenged with either NPV or laminarin. It showed that the level of SeSOCS mRNA was strongly induced in a biphasic manner in response to SeNPV and laminarin, respectively. It seems that SOCS, a negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling system is also present in S. exigua and may playa role in innate immunity albeit its precise role should be further elucidated at the molecular and cellular level in the early phase of SeNPV infection in larvae.