LYZ and infection: Specifically, miR-7 and AjPAK1 functioned separately in innate immune defense within 0 to 48 hpi during pathogen infection, while the miR-7/AjPAK1 axis had a regulatory role in the pathogen-induced immune response of A. japonicus by altering phagocytic capacity, cellular agglutination, and LZM content within 48 to 72 hpi during the infection.