Athetis lepigone is a recurring pest in the maize seedling stage under the wheat-maize no-tillage direct seeding system in China’s summer maize region. Our previous research identified a highly pathogenic Nosema bombycis to A. lepigone, which spore wall protein plays an important role in the infection process. However, the regulatory mechanism of this spore wall protein is still unclear. In this study, we explored the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs on spore wall proteins. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that expression of the spore wall protein, HSWP4, significantly increased in the germination group compared to dormancy group. This study provides a new theoretical basis for understanding the pathogenic mechanism and gene regulation of microsporidia, as well as for the green control of A. lepigone.

Researcher ZHANG Haijian from the Institute of Plant Protection of HAAFS is the first author of the paper. This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (C2024301031) and the Basic Research Funds of HAAFS (2021120204).

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