Eicosanoids mediate sHSP 20.8 gene response to biotic stress in larvae of the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi

•A small heat shock protein 20.8 was first identified in A. pernyi.•The expression of Ap-sHSP20.8 was abundant in the midgut and fat body.•AP-sHSP20.8 was obviously induced by microorganism challenges.•Eicosanoids could mediate the induction of Ap-sHSP20.8 in the fat body and midgut.

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) can regulate protein folding and protect cells from stress. To investigate the role of sHSPs in the silk-producing insect Antheraea pernyi (A. pernyi; Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), cDNA encoding HSP20.8 in A. pernyi, termed Ap-sHSP20.8, was identified as a 564 bp ORF. The translated amino acid sequence encoded 187 residues with a calculated molecular mass of 20.8 kDa and an isoelectronic point (pI) of 5.98; the sequence showed homology to sHSP chaperone proteins from other insects. Ap-sHSP20.8 mRNA transcript expression was abundant in the midgut and fat body and found to be both constitutive and inducible by infectious stimuli. Therefore, Ap-sHSP20.8 may play important roles in A. pernyi immune responses under biotic stress. Furthermore, we found that eicosanoids could mediate the induction of Ap-sHSP20.8 in the fat body and midgut. Our findings show that sHSPs may be promising molecules to target in order to cripple immunity in insect pests.