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Multifaceted functional implications of an endogenously expressed tRNA fragment in the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti
- Source :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 1, p e0006186 (2018)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of human arboviral diseases caused by dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Many studies have shown the potential roles of small RNA molecules such as microRNA, small interfering RNA and PIWI-interacting RNA in vector mosquitoes. The function of tRNA fragments (tRF), the newly discovered class of small RNAs, in mosquitoes is not known. In this study, we show that specific tRFs are expressed in significantly differential manner between males and females of Ae. aegypti strains. Specific tRFs also show differential response during developmental transition from larvae to adults, as well as after blood feeding of adult females. The expression pattern of tRFs upon blood feeding varied depending upon if the blood contained dengue virus, and also if the females were treated with antibiotic prior to feeding to cleanse of the gut bacteria. Our findings show that a single tRF derived from the precursor sequences of a tRNA-Gly was differentially expressed between males and females, developmental transitions and also upon blood feeding by females of two laboratory strains that vary in midgut susceptibility to dengue virus infection. The multifaceted functional implications of this specific tRF suggest that biogenesis of small regulatory molecules from a tRNA can have wide ranging effects on key aspects of Ae. aegypti vector biology.<br />Author summary The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviral diseases in subtropics and tropics. The confounding effects of immature development and adult microbiome on the ability of Ae. aegypti to transmit diseases (vector competence) have gained renewed attention in the recent years. However, the molecular nature of these links/ effects remains unknown. This is major gap in knowledge regarding how vector competence is regulated at molecular level, and how that regulation may be variable among different strains of this mosquito. In this study, we investigated expression of newly discovered class of small RNAs, called tRNA fragments (tRF) in Ae. aegypti strains. Based on small RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses, we show that tRFs are expressed in Ae. aegypti, and they are associated with significant changes in expression between males and females, during development stages, and post blood feeding responses. A single tRF showed association with sex-biased expression, developmental regulation and in response to blood meals between Moyo-S and Moyo-R strains that differ in midgut susceptibility to dengue virus. The findings of this study are expected to guide future research efforts directed toward examining detailed regulatory mechanisms of tRFs in vector competence of Ae. aegypti to disease transmission.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Male
RNA viruses
Small RNA
Life Cycles
Physiology
Molecular biology
Dengue virus
Disease Vectors
medicine.disease_cause
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Biochemistry
Mosquitoes
Dengue fever
0302 clinical medicine
Larvae
Sequencing techniques
RNA, Transfer
Aedes
Antibiotics
Medicine and Health Sciences
Chikungunya
Vector (molecular biology)
Genetics
Antimicrobials
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Eukaryota
Drugs
RNA sequencing
3. Good health
Body Fluids
Nucleic acids
Insects
Blood
Infectious Diseases
Medical Microbiology
Larva
Viral Pathogens
Viruses
Female
Transfer RNA
Anatomy
Pathogens
Research Article
lcsh:Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Arthropoda
lcsh:RC955-962
Aedes aegypti
Biology
Aedes Aegypti
Microbiology
03 medical and health sciences
Microbial Control
medicine
Animals
Non-coding RNA
Microbial Pathogens
Pharmacology
Biology and life sciences
Flaviviruses
Gene Expression Profiling
fungi
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Organisms
RNA
lcsh:RA1-1270
Dengue Virus
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease
Invertebrates
Insect Vectors
Research and analysis methods
Species Interactions
030104 developmental biology
Molecular biology techniques
RNA, Small Untranslated
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Developmental Biology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19352735
- Volume :
- 12
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS neglected tropical diseases
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7abfd357a1ed6b0e8df472092ed0a5da