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Zhang R, Liu W, Fu J, Zhang Z. MicroRNA-989 controls Aedes albopictus pupal-adult transition process by influencing cuticle chitin metabolism in pupae. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:397. [PMID: 37919799 PMCID: PMC10623821 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05976-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aedes albopictus is a vector of numerous devastating arboviruses and places heavy burdens on global public health. Chitin is one of the important components of cuticles and targeting chitin metabolism is a promising strategy for preventing mosquito dispersal and mosquito-borne diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in various physiological processes of insects. METHODS A previous analysis suggested that the microRNA miR-989 is potentially involved in chitin metabolism in Ae. albopictus pupae. In the present study, we found that the expression level of miR-989 was significantly overexpressed after injection of agomir. A dual-luciferase assay was used to determine the direct target of miR-989. Survival rate, eclosion rate and malformation rate were statistically analyzed to evaluate the potential effect of miR-989. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and chitin staining were used to evaluate the microstructural changes in the cuticles of Ae. albopictus pupae. RESULTS Overexpression of miR-989 resulted in a significantly reduced survival rate and eclosion rate of pupae and an elevated malformation rate of adults. The results suggested that miR-989 acted as a regulator of chitin metabolism in Ae. albopictus pupae by affecting the transcript levels of the Ae. albopictus genes encoding chitin synthase 1 (AaCHS1) and chitinase 10 (AaCht10). The altered expression levels of the two chitin metabolism-related enzymes (CHS1 and Cht10, respectively) caused the structural changes in cuticles and further affected the pupal-adult transition process of Ae. albopictus. XM_029863591.1 was proven to be the target gene of miR-989 and displayed similar effects on pupae as miR-989. CONCLUSIONS The microRNA miR-989 was found to be essential for chitin metabolism in old and new cuticles of Ae. albopictus pupae. The results of the current study suggested that miR-989 could be used as a potential target to control Ae. albopictus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiling Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250000, China.
- School of Clinical and Basic Medical Science, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250117, China.
- School of Laboratory Animal (Shandong Laboratory Animal Center), Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250117, China.
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250000, China
- School of Clinical and Basic Medical Science, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Jingwen Fu
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250000, China
- School of Clinical and Basic Medical Science, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250117, China
| | - Zhong Zhang
- School of Clinical and Basic Medical Science, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250117, China.
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Naitore C, Villinger J, Kibet CK, Kalayou S, Bargul JL, Christoffels A, Masiga DK. The developmentally dynamic microRNA transcriptome of Glossina pallidipes tsetse flies, vectors of animal trypanosomiasis. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2021; 2:vbab047. [PMID: 36699416 PMCID: PMC9710702 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Summary MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single stranded gene regulators of 18-25 bp in length. They play a crucial role in regulating several biological processes in insects. However, the functions of miRNA in Glossina pallidipes, one of the biological vectors of African animal trypanosomosis in sub-Saharan Africa, remain poorly characterized. We used a combination of both molecular biology and bioinformatics techniques to identify miRNA genes at different developmental stages (larvae, pupae, teneral and reproductive unmated adults, gravid females) and sexes of G. pallidipes. We identified 157 mature miRNA genes, including 12 novel miRNAs unique to G. pallidipes. Moreover, we identified 93 miRNA genes that were differentially expressed by sex and/or in specific developmental stages. By combining both miRanda and RNAhybrid algorithms, we identified 5550 of their target genes. Further analyses with the Gene Ontology term and KEGG pathways for these predicted target genes suggested that the miRNAs may be involved in key developmental biological processes. Our results provide the first repository of G. pallidipes miRNAs across developmental stages, some of which appear to play crucial roles in tsetse fly development. Hence, our findings provide a better understanding of tsetse biology and a baseline for exploring miRNA genes in tsetse flies. Availability and implementation Raw sequence data are available from NCBI Sequence Read Archives (SRA) under Bioproject accession number PRJNA590626. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Careen Naitore
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya,Department of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - Jandouwe Villinger
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya,To whom correspondence should be addressed. or
| | - Caleb K Kibet
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Shewit Kalayou
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Joel L Bargul
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya,Department of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - Alan Christoffels
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI), University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7530, South Africa
| | - Daniel K Masiga
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya,To whom correspondence should be addressed. or
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3
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Xu TL, Sun YW, Feng XY, Zhou XN, Zheng B. Development of miRNA-Based Approaches to Explore the Interruption of Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:665444. [PMID: 34235091 PMCID: PMC8256169 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.665444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA or miR)-based approaches to interrupt the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases have been explored since 2005. A review of these studies and areas in which to proceed is needed. In this review, significant progress is reviewed at the level of individual miRNAs, and miRNA diversification and relevant confounders are described in detail. Current miRNA studies in mosquitoes include four steps, namely, identifying miRNAs, validating miRNA-pathogen interactions, exploring action mechanisms, and performing preapplication investigations. Notably, regarding the Plasmodium parasite, mosquito miRNAs generally bind to mosquito immunity- or development-related mRNAs, indirectly regulating Plasmodium infection; However, regarding arboviruses, mosquito miRNAs can bind to the viral genome, directly modifying viral replication. Thus, during explorations of miRNA-based approaches, researchers need select an ideal miRNA for investigation based on the mosquito species, tissue, and mosquito-borne pathogen of interest. Additionally, strategies for miRNA-based approaches differ for arboviruses and protozoan parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tie-Long Xu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China.,National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Ya-Wen Sun
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Yu Feng
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai, China.,School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Nong Zhou
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai, China.,School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Zheng
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai, China.,School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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4
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Fridrich A, Hazan Y, Moran Y. Too Many False Targets for MicroRNAs: Challenges and Pitfalls in Prediction of miRNA Targets and Their Gene Ontology in Model and Non-model Organisms. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800169. [PMID: 30919506 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Short ("seed") or extended base pairing between microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target RNAs enables post-transcriptional silencing in many organisms. These interactions allow the computational prediction of potential targets. In model organisms, predicted targets are frequently validated experimentally; hence meaningful miRNA-regulated processes are reported. However, in non-models, these reports mostly rely on computational prediction alone. Many times, further bioinformatic analyses such as Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment are based on these in silico projections. Here such approaches are reviewed, their caveats are highlighted and the ease of picking false targets from predicted lists is demonstrated. Discoveries that shed new light on how miRNAs evolved to regulate targets in various phyletic groups are discussed, in addition to the pitfalls of target identification in non-model organisms. The goal is to prevent the misuse of bioinformatic tools, as they cannot bypass the biological understanding of miRNA-target regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arie Fridrich
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yael Hazan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401, Jerusalem, Israel
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Huang Y, Xiong J, Brown PB, Sun X. Discovery of MicroRNAs from Batrachuperus yenyuanensis Using Deep Sequencing and Prediction of Their Targets. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2019; 84:380-389. [PMID: 31228929 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297919040059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a family of ∼22-nucleotide non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules, are considered as key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that regulate various biological processes in living organism. Many miRNAs have been identified in animals; however, few have been reported in Hynobiidae species. The present study is aimed to identify a full repertoire of miRNAs in Batrachuperus yenyuanensis (Yenyuan stream salamander), which would significantly increase our knowledge of miRNAs in amphibians. A small RNA library was constructed from B. yenyuanensis and sequenced using deep sequencing. As a result, 1,717,751 clean reads were obtained, representing 356 known and 80 novel miRNAs. Additionally, expression levels of eight randomly selected miRNAs in B. yenyuanensis were confirmed using the stem-loop quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. In addition, 13,972 targets were predicted for these identified miRNAs, although the physiological functions of many of these targets remain unknown. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggested that the predicted targets are involved in a variety of physiological regulatory functions in B. yenyuanensis. These results provide useful information for further research on the miRNAs involved in the growth and development of B. yenyuanensis, as well as adaptation of this species to its high-altitude habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China.
| | - J Xiong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China.
| | - P B Brown
- Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - X Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
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Arcà B, Colantoni A, Fiorillo C, Severini F, Benes V, Di Luca M, Calogero RA, Lombardo F. MicroRNAs from saliva of anopheline mosquitoes mimic human endogenous miRNAs and may contribute to vector-host-pathogen interactions. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2955. [PMID: 30814633 PMCID: PMC6393464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39880-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
During blood feeding haematophagous arthropods inject into their hosts a cocktail of salivary proteins whose main role is to counteract host haemostasis, inflammation and immunity. However, animal body fluids are known to also carry miRNAs. To get insights into saliva and salivary gland miRNA repertoires of the African malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii we used small RNA-Seq and identified 214 miRNAs, including tissue-enriched, sex-biased and putative novel anopheline miRNAs. Noteworthy, miRNAs were asymmetrically distributed between saliva and salivary glands, suggesting that selected miRNAs may be preferentially directed toward mosquito saliva. The evolutionary conservation of a subset of saliva miRNAs in Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes, and in the tick Ixodes ricinus, supports the idea of a non-random occurrence pointing to their possible physiological role in blood feeding by arthropods. Strikingly, eleven of the most abundant An. coluzzi saliva miRNAs mimicked human miRNAs. Prediction analysis and search for experimentally validated targets indicated that miRNAs from An. coluzzii saliva may act on host mRNAs involved in immune and inflammatory responses. Overall, this study raises the intriguing hypothesis that miRNAs injected into vertebrates with vector saliva may contribute to host manipulation with possible implication for vector-host interaction and pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Arcà
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessio Colantoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, "Sapienza University", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Carmine Fiorillo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Severini
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Vladimir Benes
- Genomics Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marco Di Luca
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele A Calogero
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126, Turin, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Lombardo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
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Ruzzante L, Reijnders MJ, Waterhouse RM. Of Genes and Genomes: Mosquito Evolution and Diversity. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:32-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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