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Expression profiling of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) microRNAs and microRNA core genes by Bacillus thuringiensis GS57 infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2024

Bo Gao
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yu-Jie Ji
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Dan Zhao
Affiliation:
College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
Lu Zhang
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Han Wu
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yi-Fan Xie
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Qiu-Yu Shi
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Wei Guo*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
*
Corresponding author: Wei Guo; Email: guowei05@caas.cn

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding RNAs, which are functional in a variety of biological processes through post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, the role of miRNAs in the interaction between Bacillus thuringiensis and insects remains unclear. In this study, small RNA libraries were constructed for B. thuringiensis-infected (Bt) and uninfected (CK) Spodoptera exigua larvae (treated with double-distilled water) using Illumina sequencing. Utilising the miRDeep2 and Randfold, a total of 233 known and 726 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 16 up-regulated and 34 down-regulated differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified compared to the CK. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that potential target genes of DE miRNAs were associated with ABC transporters, fatty acid metabolism and MAPK signalling pathway which are related to the development, reproduction and immunity. Moreover, two miRNA core genes, SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 were identified. The phylogenetic tree showed that lepidopteran Dicer1 clustered into one branch, with SeDicer1 in the position closest to Spodoptera litura Dicer1. A similar phylogenetic relationship was observed in the Ago1 protein. Expression of SeDicer1 increased at 72 h post infection (hpi) with B. thuringiensis; however, expression of SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 decreased at 96 hpi. The RNAi results showed that the knockdown of SeDicer1 directly caused the down-regulation of miRNAs and promoted the mortality of S. exigua infected by B. thuringiensis GS57. In conclusion, our study is crucial to understand the relationship between miRNAs and various biological processes caused by B. thuringiensis infection, and develop an integrated pest management strategy for S. exigua via miRNAs.

Information

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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