Effect of fluvalinate on the expression profile of circular RNA in brain tissue of Apis mellifera ligustica workers

Shan Xueqing; Lou Delong; Wang Guizhi; Fan Yunhan; Yang Liuxu; Chao Tianle

doi:10.3389/fgene.2023.1185952

Effect of fluvalinate on the expression profile of circular RNA in brain tissue of Apis mellifera ligustica workers

Front Genet. 2023 May 11:14:1185952. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1185952. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shan Xueqing¹, Lou Delong², Wang Guizhi¹, Fan Yunhan¹, Yang Liuxu¹, Chao Tianle^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China.
² Comprehensive Testing and Inspection Center, Shandong Provincial Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau, Jinan, Shandong, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-grain Feed Resources (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China.

Abstract

Fluvalinate is widely used in apiculture as an acaricide for removing Varroa mites, but there have been growing concerns about the negative effects of fluvalinate on honeybees in recent years. Previous research revealed changes in the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles of Apis mellifera ligustica brain tissues during fluvalinate exposure, as well as key genes and pathways. The role of circRNAs in this process, however, is unknown. The goal of this study was to discover the fluvalinate-induced changes in circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles of brain tissue of A. mellifera ligustica workers. A total of 10,780 circRNAs were detected in A. mellifera ligustica brain tissue, of which eight were differentially expressed between at least two of the four time periods before and after fluvalinate administration, and six circRNAs were experimentally verified to be structurally correct, and their expression patterns were consistent with transcriptome sequencing results. Furthermore, ceRNA analysis revealed that five differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) (novel_circ_012139, novel_circ_011690, novel_circ_002628, novel_circ_004765, and novel_circ_010008) were primarily involved in apoptosis-related functions by competitive binding with miRNAs. This study discovered changes in the circRNA expression profile of A. mellifera ligustica brain tissue caused by fluvalinate exposure, and it provides a useful reference for the biological function study of circRNAs in A. mellifera ligustica.

Keywords: Apis mellifera ligustica; brain tissue; ceRNA; circular RNAs; fluvalinate.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Funds of Shandong Province Agricultural Variety Project (Grant Number: 2016LZGC039) and Shandong “Double Tops” Program (Grant Number SYL2017YSTD12).