Multiple microRNAs control ecdysone signaling in the midgut of Spodoptera litura  

作　　者：Wei Luo Li-Xia Huang Shuang-Kang Qin Xian Zhang Qi-Li Feng Jun Gu Li-Hua Huang 

机构地区：[1]Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology,Institute of Insect Science and Technology,School of Life Sciences,South China Normal University,Guangzhou,China [2]Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research,Institute of Insect Science and Technology,School of Life Sciences,South China Normal University,Guangzhou,China [3]Hubei Key Laboratory of Application of Plant-Cancer Active Ingredients,School of Chemistry and Life Sciences,Hubei University of Education,Wuhan,China

出　　处：《Insect Science》2020年第6期1208-1223,共16页昆虫科学（英文版）

基　　金：grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31672357 and 31872285)。

摘　　要：Metamorphosis is one of the most important physiological processes in insects.It is regulated by a serial of ecdysone cascade genes.Recently,lots o f microRNAs(miRNAs)were investigated in insects;however,their function in metamorphosis is largely unknown.In the present study,the dynamics of a small RNA population was investigated by RNA sequencing from the midgut of a lepidopteran pest Spodoptera litura during larval-pupal metamorphosis.A total of 101 miRNAs were identified,and 75 miRNAs were differentially expressed during the metamorphic process.The relationship between these differentially expressed miRNAs and 12 ecdysone cascade genes was analyzed by four classical software programs,and a multiple-to-multiple regulatory network was found to exist between these miRNAs and their targets.Among them,miR-14-3p and its two targets(EcR and E75)were chosen for further validation.MiR-14-3p had higher expression level in the 6 th instar larvae as compared with either the prepupae or pupae,which was opposite to that of both EcR and E75,two ecdysone cascade genes.Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that both EcR and E75 were regulated by miR-14-3p.Interestingly,the 3'untranslated regions are nearly identical to each other among different transcript variants of the ecdysone cascade genes,including EcR,USP,E75,E74,E78,E93,Hr3,Hr4,Hr39,K rhl and F tzfl.Thus,different transcript variants of one ecdysone cascade gene could be regulated by the same mi RNA.The above data suggest that the ecdysone signaling pathway is under the tight control of miRNA.These findings expand our understanding of the mechanism of insect metamorphosis and may also provide a novel possibility for the control of pest insects in the future.

关 键 词：ECDYSONE ECR E75 METAMORPHOSIS microRNA MIDGUT 

分 类 号：Q96[生物学—昆虫学]