Whole-transcriptome profiling across different developmental stages of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) provides insights into chitin-related non-coding RNA and competing endogenous RNA networks

Abstract

Background The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of the most invasive species and a vector of numerous arboviruses. The deleterious effects of long-term and inappropriate use of chemical pesticides have stimulated the exploration of new, environmentally friendly control strategies. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been proven to participate in almost all biological processes of insects. Methods In this study, circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) covering five developmental stages [egg, early larvae, late larvae, pupae, adult (female and male)] of A. albopictus were obtained using whole-transcriptome sequencing technology. Combined with long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) from previous research, circRNA/lncRNA‒miRNA‒mitochondrial RNA (mRNA) networks were constructed. Results A total of 1434 circRNAs and 208 miRNAs were identified. More differentially expressed circRNAs (DE circRNAs) and miRNAs (DE miRNAs) were found in the egg versus early larvae comparison group. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that most of the circRNA/lncRNA‒miRNA‒mRNA networks were involved in chitin metabolism. Hub genes of each circRNA/lncRNA‒miRNA‒mRNA network were screened out, which can be used as novel targets to disturb the molting process of A. albopictus. Conclusions Regulatory relationships obtained from competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks provide more information to manipulate the metamorphosis process and are helpful for developing effective and sustainable methods to control mosquitoes. Graphical Abstract

Unraveling the modulatory manner and function of circRNAs in the Asian honey bee larval guts

“…CircRNAs, mRNAs, and any other RNAs that share common miRNA response elements (MREs) can competitively bind with miRNAs, acting as an RNA sponge to block and inhibit miRNAs from binding to their target sites ( Tay et al, 2014 ). Studies found that ceRNA regulatory networks are widely present in the growth and development of various insects, such as A. albopictus ( Liu et al, 2023 ), Tetranychus cinnabarinus ( Feng et al, 2022 ), B. mori ( Yin et al, 2021 ). Here, we noticed that 19 DEcircRNAs (novel_circ_002117, novel_circ_001037, and novel_circ_002747, etc.)…”

Expression Profile, Regulatory Network, and Putative Role of microRNAs in the Developmental Process of Asian Honey Bee Larval Guts

“…Different ncRNAs such as lncRNAs and circRNAs, which contain miRNA response elements, are able to interact with miRNAs via competing endogenous networks to further regulate expression of downstream genes [ 63 ]. In insects, ncRNA-involved ceRNA networks were shown to affect and development [ 16 ], metabolism [ 64 ], and immunity [ 65 ]. For example, Wang et al [ 66 ] discovered that the nucleus-enriched lncR26319 in silkworm was able to regulate Endophilin A ( EndoA ), a member of the endophilin family of endocytic proteins, through competitive binding to miR-2834; the lncR26319-miR-2834-EndoA axis was required for Vg endocytosis.…”