MicroRNAs are differentially abundant during Aedes albopictus diapause maintenance but not diapause induction

Abstract

Diapause is a programmed dormancy that allows organisms to tolerate predictable periods of unfavorable conditions by temporarily halting development and reducing metabolism. Diapause is widespread among insects and is crucial for allowing organisms to coordinate their growth and reproduction with favorable environmental conditions. While the adaptive significance of diapause is well-understood, the molecular mechanisms underpinning diapause remain unresolved. We performed high-throughput sequencing to investigate the role of microRNAs in the diapause of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. We first investigate miRNAs in diapause induction by characterizing maternally-provisioned miRNAs in mature oocytes of Ae. albopictus under diapause-inducing and diapause-averting conditions. Second, we investigate miRNAs in diapause maintenance by characterizing miRNAs in diapause and non-diapause pharate larvae. We identified 162 miRNAs, 152 previously known and 10 putatively novel. We identified no differentially abundant miRNAs in mature oocytes and seven differentially abundant miRNAs in pharate larvae. The predicted targets of differentially abundant miRNAs include genes affecting several processes related to diapause maintenance including ecdysone regulation, immune response, lipid metabolism, and regulation of development. Our results suggest that Ae. albopictus does not maternally-provision a unique set of miRNAs during diapause induction but miRNAs are a component of diapause maintenance in this species.

Seasonal phenotype‐specific expression of microRNAs during metamorphosis in the European map butterfly Araschnia levana

“…Here, we identified a miRNA that targets the diapause clock gene and which is differentially expressed in last‐instar larvae and pupae depending on the day length during larval development. Our findings also support the recent study of Batz et al (2017) who reported that miRNAs regulate diapause in A. albopictus .…”

“…An interesting miRNA pertaining to the regulation of lipid metabolism is miR‐14‐5p. It was previously found to be downregulated during diapause in pharate larvae of Aedes albopictus and the knockout of its precursor in Drosophila melanogaster reduced lipid metabolism but increased accumulation of di‐ and triglycerides (Batz, Golff, & Armbruster, 2017; Xu, Vernooy, Guo, & Hay, 2003). Batz et al (2017) concluded that the downregulation of miR‐14‐5p in diapausing A. albopictus larvae, could contribute to the accumulation of lipids.…”

“…It was previously found to be downregulated during diapause in pharate larvae of Aedes albopictus and the knockout of its precursor in Drosophila melanogaster reduced lipid metabolism but increased accumulation of di‐ and triglycerides (Batz, Golff, & Armbruster, 2017; Xu, Vernooy, Guo, & Hay, 2003). Batz et al (2017) concluded that the downregulation of miR‐14‐5p in diapausing A. albopictus larvae, could contribute to the accumulation of lipids. These findings are consistent with our data, as bmo‐miR‐14‐5p was significantly differentially expressed across all four experimental groups, with the highest expression occurring in long‐day larvae and the lowest in short‐day larvae.…”

Daphnia magna microRNAs respond to nutritional stress and ageing but are not transgenerational

“…MiRNA expression specific to egg and pupal stages has been observed in Bombyx mori (Zhang et al., ), and miRNAs play key, stage‐specific roles in embryogenesis in mice, Drosophila , Plutella xylostella and Tribolium castaneum (Leaman et al., ; Liang, Feng, Zhou, & Gao, ; Ninova, Ronshaugen, & Griffiths‐Jones, , ; Soni et al., ; Tang et al., ). Differential expression of miRNAs is present between the ovaries and eggs of gregarious versus solitary locusts (He et al., ) and between diapause and nondiapause conditions in Aedes albopictus (Batz, Goff, & Armbruster, ).…”

Revised annotation and characterization of novelAedes albopictusmiRNAs and their potential functions in dengue virus infection

“…Taken together, miRNA annotation profile provided here is the most comprehensive to date, and we believed that this will facilitate future research in understanding virushost interactions particularly on the role of miRNAs. during virus infection, and at diapause condition (Avila-Bonilla et al, 2017;Batz et al, 2017;Liu et al, 2015;Su et al, 2019Su et al, , 2017. These studies suggest the involvement of miRNAs in the regulation of Ae.…”