Li Xiangrui, Zhang Fangmei, Coates Brad, Wei Changping, Zhu Xun, Zhang Yunhui, Zhou Xuguo
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
Henan Provincial South Henan Crop Pest Green Prevention and Control Academician Workstation, Xinyang Agriculture and Forestry University, Xinyang, 46400, China.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2022 Mar;142:103579. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103579. Epub 2021 Apr 22.
Molecular mechanisms underlying wing evolution and development have been a point of scientific inquiry for decades. Phloem-feeding aphids are one of the most devastating global insect pests, where dispersal of winged morphs lead to annual movements, migrations, and range expansions. Aphids show a polyphenic wing dimorphism trait, and offer a model to study the role of environment in determining morphological plasticity of a single genotype. Despite recent progresses in the genetic understanding of wing polyphenism, the influence of environmental cues remains unclear. To investigate the involvement of miRNAs in wing development, we sequenced small RNA libraries of the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.) across six different developmental stages. As a result, we identified 113 conserved and 193 S. avenae-specific miRNAs. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses of putative target mRNAs for the six differentially expressed miRNAs are enriched for wing development processes. Dietary uptake of miR-263a, miR-316, and miR-184a agomirs and antagomirs led to significantly higher mortality (>70%) and a lower proportion of winged morphs (<5%). On the other hand, wing malformation was observed in miR-2 and miR-306 agomirs and miR-2 and miR-14 antagomirs, respectively, suggesting their involvement in S. avenae wing morphogenesis. These combined results not only shed light on the regulatory role of miRNAs in wing dimorphism, but also provide potential novel targets for the long-term sustainable management of S. avenae, a devastating global grain pest.
数十年来，翅膀进化与发育的分子机制一直是科学研究的重点。以韧皮部为食的蚜虫是全球最具破坏性的害虫之一，有翅蚜的扩散导致了其年度移动、迁徙和分布范围的扩大。蚜虫表现出多型性翅膀二态性特征，为研究环境在决定单一基因型形态可塑性中的作用提供了一个模型。尽管最近在翅膀多型性的遗传学理解方面取得了进展，但环境线索的影响仍不清楚。为了研究微小RNA（miRNA）在翅膀发育中的作用，我们对麦长管蚜（Sitobion avenae (F.)）在六个不同发育阶段的小RNA文库进行了测序。结果，我们鉴定出113个保守的和193个麦长管蚜特有的miRNA。对六个差异表达的miRNA的假定靶标mRNA进行基因本体论和KEGG通路分析，结果显示这些通路在翅膀发育过程中富集。饮食摄入miR-263a、miR-316和miR-184a的激动剂和拮抗剂会导致显著更高的死亡率（>70%）和更低比例的有翅蚜（<5%）。另一方面，分别在miR-2和miR-306激动剂以及miR-2和miR-14拮抗剂处理中观察到翅膀畸形，这表明它们参与了麦长管蚜的翅膀形态发生。这些综合结果不仅揭示了miRNA在翅膀二态性中的调控作用，还为全球极具破坏性的谷物害虫麦长管蚜的长期可持续治理提供了潜在的新靶点。
