MicroRNAs regulate the sesquiterpenoid hormonal pathway inDrosophilaand other arthropods

作者：Zhe Qu, William G. Bendena, Wenyan Nong, K. Siggens, Fernando G. Noriega, Zhen‐peng Kai, Yang‐yang Zang, Alex Chun Koon, Ho Yin Edwin Chan, Ting‐Fung Chan, Ka Hou Chu, Hon‐Ming Lam, Michael Akam, Stephen S. Tobe, Jerome H. L. Hui · 发表于：Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1098/rspb.2017.1827 · 被引用次数：42 · 研究领域：Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research、Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms、Insect Utilization and Effects

Arthropods comprise the majority of all described animal species, and understanding their evolution is a central question in biology. Their developmental processes are under the precise control of distinct hormonal regulators, including the sesquiterpenoids juvenile hormone (JH) and methyl farnesoate. The control of the synthesis and mode of action of these hormones played important roles in the evolution of arthropods and their adaptation to diverse habitats. However, the precise roles of non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), controlling arthropod hormonal pathways are unknown. Here, we investigated the miRNA regulation of the expression of the juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase gene ( JHAMT ), which encodes a rate-determining sesquiterpenoid biosynthetic enzyme. Loss of function of the miRNA bantam in the fly Drosophila melanogaster increased JHAMT expression, while overexpression of the bantam repressed JHAMT expression and resulted in pupal lethality. The male genital organs of the pupae were malformed, and exogenous sesquiterpenoid application partially rescued the genital deformities. The role of the bantam in the regulation of sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis was validated by transcriptomic, qPCR and hormone titre (JHB3 and JH III) analyses. In addition, we found a conserved set of miRNAs that interacted with JHAMT , and the sesquiterpenoid receptor methoprene-tolerant ( Met ) in different arthropod lineages, including insects (fly, mosquito and beetle), crusta...