Novel insights in insect immunity: regulators, signaling, and mechanisms

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 29 July 2025 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 16 November 2025

  2. This Research Topic is still accepting articles.

Background

Insects, which comprise over half of all known living organisms, play critical roles in ecosystems as pollinators, decomposers, and vectors of diseases. Although their immune systems are simpler than those of vertebrates, they exhibit remarkable efficiency and complexity, allowing them to survive and thrive in diverse and often hostile environments. Insect innate immunity is characterized by several conserved signaling pathways, including the Toll, IMD, JAK/STAT, JNK, and cGAS-STING pathways, which coordinate the response to pathogenic infections. Recent research has uncovered novel immune regulation strategies such as hormones, gut microbiota, and immune memory, among others. Hormones such as juvenile hormone and ecdysteroids influence immune responses, while gut microbiota enhance immunity by inducing specific responses and competing with pathogens. Insects also demonstrate "immune priming", akin to mammalian immune memory, which involves epigenetic changes and persistent immune gene expression. These findings highlight the specificity and flexibility of insect immune systems and their integration with other physiological processes. Insect immune systems evolve in response to selective pressures from pathogens, driving dynamic immune adaptations. Understanding these mechanisms advances insect biology, aids targeted pest control, and informs disease management strategies in other species. The topic underscores insects' sophisticated strategies for maintaining health and resilience.

This research topic seeks the latest findings as well as review articles and mini-review articles, to elucidate novel regulators, signaling, or mechanisms underlying insect innate immunity.

The scope of the Research Topic covers a wide range of areas within insect immunology and beyond, including regulators, signaling cascades, and defense mechanisms governing innate immune responses. In addition, new findings of utilizing insect immunity for pest control or disease control are also welcome. The Research Topic includes, but not limited to, the following subtopics:

1. Mechanisms of immune priming: Understanding how insects develop immune memory-like responses, which may involve epigenetic change, interaction with gut microbiota, formation of long-lasting signaling complexes, or other mechanisms..
2. Novel immune regulators and mechanisms: Identifying and characterizing new immune system modulation that can shape immune response, determines the co-evolution of symbiotic or pathogenic microbes with insect hosts, or affect any immune-related processes..
3. Cross-talking of immune system with other physiological systems in the body: understanding how immune system interacts with other systems, including the nervous system, endocrine system, and metabolic system via communicating through cytokines, hormones or metabolites, to maintain homeostasis and enable them to adapt to their ecosystems.
4. The role of secondary metabolites within cells in regulating insect immune functions.
5. Insect-pathogen co-evolution: Investigating how pathogens shape immune system evolution in insects.
6. Gut microbiota and immunity: The influence of gut microbiota on insect immune responses and pathogen defense.
7. Immunomodulation by environmental factors: How environmental stressors impact immune responses in insects.
8. Pest and insect vector control strategies based on insights from insect immunity: developing sustainable strategies while minimizing off-target effects and improving scalability based on immune mechanisms and techniques to manage pest and insect vectors.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

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  • Case Report
  • Clinical Trial
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion

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Keywords: Insect immunity

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