Super-induction of Dicer-2 expression by alien double-stranded RNAs: an evolutionary ancient response to viral infection?

Development Genes and Evolution
Jesus LozanoXavier Bellés

Abstract

Dicer-2 is a ribonuclease involved in the insect RNAi pathway. On attempting to knockdown Dicer-2 expression in the insect Blattella germanica by RNAi, we found that treatment with Dicer-2 dsRNA upregulated the targeted mRNA. This unexpected result was also observed after treating with a nucleopolyhedrovirus dsRNA. Experiments with this alien dsRNA showed an all-or-none response with a threshold for inducing Dicer-2 upregulation between 0.4 and 0.04 μg in terms of dsRNA concentration and between 50 and 20 bp in terms of dsRNA length. The response seems specific of dsRNA given that equivalent experiments carried out with dsDNA did not affect Dicer-2 expression. In insects, Dicer-2 is postulated to be a sensor of viral infections and a key antiviral defense element. The upregulation of Dicer-2 expression after dsRNA administration fits well with this sensor role, and the occurrence of this mechanism in B. germanica, a phylogenetically basal insect, suggests that sensing alien RNAs might be an ancestral function of Dicer-2 proteins.

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Citations

Oct 17, 2013·PloS One·Michelle L Flenniken, Raul Andino
Oct 16, 2016·Annual Review of Virology·Vanesa Mongelli, Maria-Carla Saleh
Oct 15, 2019·Annual Review of Entomology·Kun Yan Zhu, Subba Reddy Palli
Aug 1, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·June-Sun YoonSubba Reddy Palli
Aug 23, 2020·Insects·Ritesh G JainNeena Mitter
Mar 21, 2020·Frontiers in Immunology·Alessandro TorriMaria-Carla Saleh
Jan 9, 2021·Annual Review of Entomology·Bryony C Bonning, Maria-Carla Saleh
Apr 26, 2021·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Gene Regulatory Mechanisms·José Carlos MontañésJosé Luis Maestro

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