Suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins as modulators of development and innate immunity of insects

Abstract

The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are a family of intracellular molecules. Many members of this family have been reported to be involved in various physiological processes in invertebrates and vertebrates (e.g., developmental process and immune response). The functions of SOCS molecules seem to remain conserved in animals throughout evolutionary history. The members of the SOCS family play vital roles in the physiological processes by regulating the extent and duration of signaling activities of both Janus Kinase-Signal Transducer and Activators of Transcription (JAK-STAT) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways in vivo. So far, in different insect species, a variable number of SOCS and SOCS box domain-containing proteins have been identified. These proteins are categorized into different types based on their sequence diversification, leading to an alteration in structure and regulatory function. The biological roles of the many SOCS proteins have been established as a negative or positive regulator of the signaling pathways, as mentioned earlier. Here, we discussed the existing knowledge on the SOCS proteins and their involvement in different biological functions in insects, and future perspectives to further elucidate their physiological roles.

Keywords: Development; Insects; JAK-STAT pathway; Negative regulators; SOCS.