Silkworm ferritin 1 heavy chain homolog is involved in defense against bacterial infection through regulation of haemolymph iron homeostasis

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus infection resulted in elevated iron levels in the hemolymph of larval silkworm.
• BmFer1 mRNA abundance was up-regulated in hemocytes after bacterial infection.
• BmFer1 reduced the plasma iron level after infection and limited the bacterial growth in the haemolymph.
• BmFer1 restricts iron access of the invading bacteria and blocks their growth as a defense strategy.

Iron functions as a nutrient and a potential toxin in all organisms. It plays a key role in the interaction between microbes and their hosts as well. Microbial infection disrupts iron homeostasis in the host; meanwhile the host endeavors to keep the homeostasis through iron transport and storage. Transferrins and ferritins are the major iron-binding proteins that affect iron distribution in insects. In this study, we investigated a possible involvement of Bombyx mori ferritin 1 (BmFer1) heavy chain homolog in the defense against bacterial infection in the silkworm larvae. The BmFer1 mRNA abundance was up-regulated in hemocytes, but not in fat body, after Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus infection. The infection resulted in elevated iron levels in the hemolymph. Injection of recombinant BmFer1 protein into hemocoel reduced the plasma iron level after infection, limited the bacterial growth in the hemolymph, and resulted in a lower mortality caused by infection. Our study indicated that B. mori ferritin-1 may restrict iron access of the invading bacteria to block their growth as a defense strategy.