Zafar Junaid, Wu Hongxin, Xu Yating, Lin Liangjie, Kang Zehong, Zhang Jie, Zhang Ruonan, Lu Yongyue, Jin Fengliang, Xu Xiaoxia
National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, "Belt and Road" Technology Industry and Innovation Institute for Green and Biological Control of Agricultural Pests, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 12;24(18):13983. doi: 10.3390/ijms241813983.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that do not encode proteins. Generally studied for their regulatory potential in model insects, relatively little is known about their immunoregulatory functions in different castes of eusocial insects, including , a notoriously invasive insect pest. In the current study, we used , an entomopathogenic fungus, to infect the polymorphic worker castes (Major and Minor Workers) and subjected them to RNA sequencing at different intervals (6, 24, and 48 h post-infection (hpi)). Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis identified 5719 (1869 known and 3850 novel) lncRNAs in all libraries. Genomic characteristics analysis showed that lncRNAs exhibited structural similarities with lncRNAs from other eusocial insects, including lower exon numbers, shorter intron and exon lengths, and a lower expression profile. A comparison of lncRNAs in major and minor worker ants revealed that several lncRNAs were exclusively expressed in one worker caste and remained absent in the other. LncRNAs such as , (6 h), , (24 h), , and (48 h) were only present in major worker ants, while lncRNAs such as , (6 h), , (24 h), , and (48 h) were only detected in minor workers. Additionally, we performed real-time quantitative PCR and experimentally validated these findings. Functional annotation of -acting lncRNAs in major worker ants showed that lncRNAs targeted genes such as , , , , etc. In contrast, apoptosis and autophagy-related genes were identified as targets of lncRNAs in minor ants. Lastly, we identified several lncRNAs as precursors of microRNAs (miRNAs), such as miR-8, miR-14, miR-210, miR-6038, etc., indicating a regulatory relationship between lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in antifungal immunity. These findings will serve as a genetic resource for lncRNAs in polymorphic eusocial ants and provide a theoretical basis for exploring the function of lncRNAs from a unique and novel perspective.
长链非编码RNA(lncRNAs)是一类不编码蛋白质的RNA分子。人们通常研究其在模式昆虫中的调控潜力,而对于它们在群居性昆虫不同品级(包括一种臭名昭著的入侵害虫)中的免疫调节功能却知之甚少。在本研究中,我们使用一种昆虫病原真菌感染多态性工蚁品级(大兵蚁和小兵蚁),并在不同时间间隔(感染后6、24和48小时(hpi))对它们进行RNA测序。全面的生物信息学分析在所有文库中鉴定出5719个(1869个已知的和3850个新的)lncRNAs。基因组特征分析表明,lncRNAs与其他群居性昆虫的lncRNAs表现出结构相似性,包括外显子数量较少、内含子和外显子长度较短以及表达谱较低。大兵蚁和小兵蚁中lncRNAs的比较显示,一些lncRNAs仅在一种工蚁品级中表达,而在另一种中不存在。例如,lncRNAs如 、 (6小时)、 、 (24小时)、 、 (48小时)仅存在于大兵蚁中,而lncRNAs如 、 (6小时)、 、 (24小时)、 、 (48小时)仅在小兵蚁中检测到。此外,我们进行了实时定量PCR并通过实验验证了这些发现。对大兵蚁中反式作用lncRNAs的功能注释表明,lncRNAs靶向 、 、 、 等基因。相比之下,凋亡和自噬相关基因被鉴定为小兵蚁中lncRNAs的靶标。最后,我们鉴定出几种lncRNAs作为微小RNA(miRNAs)的前体,如miR-8、miR-14、miR-210、miR-6038等,表明lncRNAs、miRNAs和mRNAs在抗真菌免疫中存在调控关系。这些发现将作为多态性群居性蚂蚁中lncRNAs的遗传资源,并为从独特新颖的角度探索lncRNAs的功能提供理论基础。