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miR-71 and miR-263 Jointly Regulate Target Genes Chitin synthase and Chitinase to Control Locust Molting
- Source :
- PLoS Genetics, PLoS Genetics, Vol 12, Iss 8, p e1006257 (2016)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Chitin synthase and chitinase play crucial roles in chitin biosynthesis and degradation during insect molting. Silencing of Dicer-1 results in reduced levels of mature miRNAs and severely blocks molting in the migratory locust. However, the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in the molting process of locusts has remained elusive. In this study, we found that in chitin metabolism, two crucial enzymes, chitin synthase (CHS) and chitinase (CHT) were regulated by miR-71 and miR-263 during nymph molting. The coding sequence of CHS1 and the 3’-untranslated region of CHT10 contain functional binding sites for miR-71 and miR-263, respectively. miR-71/miR-263 displayed cellular co-localization with their target genes in epidermal cells and directly interacted with CHS1 and CHT10 in the locust integument, respectively. Injections of miR-71 and miR-263 agomirs suppressed the expression of CHS1 and CHT10, which consequently altered chitin production of new and old cuticles and resulted in a molting-defective phenotype in locusts. Unexpectedly, reduced expression of miR-71 and miR-263 increased CHS1 and CHT10 mRNA expression and led to molting defects similar to those induced by miRNA delivery. This study reveals a novel function and balancing modulation pattern of two miRNAs in chitin biosynthesis and degradation, and it provides insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of the molting process in locusts.<br />Author Summary Molting is a crucial process in the growth and development in insects. Disturbing the molting process represents an attractive strategy for developing safe and effective insecticides. The migratory locust is a hemimetabolous pest that undergoes five molting stages in its life cycle. Similar molting defects can be observed in expression silencing of the key genes both in miRNA processing and in chitin metabolism. However, any link between a specific miRNA to chitin metabolism has not yet been established. In this study, we elucidated a mechanism by which two miRNAs regulate chitin metabolism related to the molting process. We found that miR-71 and miR-263 directly repress two genes, chitin synthase1 (CHS1) and chitinase10 (CHT10), which are required for chitin biosynthesis and degradation in chitin metabolism. Manipulation of miR-71 and miR-263 expression blocked molting and resulted in abnormal molting by negatively regulating the expression of LmCHS1 and LmCHT10. Furthermore, both up-regulation and down-regulation of LmCHS1 and LmCHT10 by miRNA manipulation altered the chitin content of the new cuticle and old cuticles, leading to a similar aberrant molting phenotype. Our results demonstrate a balancing modulation pattern of two miRNAs in chitin biosynthesis and degradation that controlled the precise molting process in locusts.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Cancer Research
Physiology
Polymers
Chitin
Molting
Biochemistry
chemistry.chemical_compound
Gene expression
Medicine and Health Sciences
Genetics (clinical)
Phylogeny
Regulation of gene expression
biology
integumentary system
Chitinases
Agriculture
Chitin synthase
Cell biology
Enzymes
Nucleic acids
Insects
Chemistry
Macromolecules
Physical Sciences
Insect Pests
RNA Interference
Oxidoreductases
Luciferase
Research Article
animal structures
lcsh:QH426-470
Arthropoda
Materials by Structure
Materials Science
Grasshoppers
Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
03 medical and health sciences
Pests
Botany
Genetics
Gene silencing
Animals
Amino Acid Sequence
Non-coding RNA
Molecular Biology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Chitin Synthase
Metamorphosis
fungi
Organisms
Biology and Life Sciences
Proteins
Migratory locust
Locusts
biology.organism_classification
Polymer Chemistry
Invertebrates
Gene regulation
Nymphs
lcsh:Genetics
MicroRNAs
030104 developmental biology
chemistry
Chitinase
Proteolysis
biology.protein
Enzymology
RNA
Physiological Processes
Locust
Developmental Biology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15537404 and 15537390
- Volume :
- 12
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Genetics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ebd3f3da0e0b09b7eb2e7a50ab60869d