PIWI Proteins Play an Antiviral Role in Lepidopteran Cell Lines
Insect antiviral immunity primarily relies on RNAi mechanisms.While a key role of small interfering (si)RNAs and AGO proteins has been well established in this regard, the situation for PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting (pi)RNAs is not as clear.In the present study, we investigate whether PIWI proteins and viral piRNAs are involved in the immunity