Identification and profiling of stable microRNAs in hemolymph of young and old Locusta migratoria fifth instars

Stijn Van den Brande; Marijke Gijbels; Niels Wynant; Paulien Peeters; Yannick Gansemans; Filip Van Nieuwerburgh; Dulce Santos; Jozef Vanden Broeck

doi:10.1016/j.cris.2022.100041

Identification and profiling of stable microRNAs in hemolymph of young and old Locusta migratoria fifth instars

Curr Res Insect Sci. 2022 Jun 17:2:100041. doi: 10.1016/j.cris.2022.100041. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Stijn Van den Brande¹, Marijke Gijbels¹, Niels Wynant¹, Paulien Peeters¹, Yannick Gansemans², Filip Van Nieuwerburgh², Dulce Santos¹, Jozef Vanden Broeck¹

Affiliations

¹ Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
² Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

Since the discovery of the first microRNA (miRNA) in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, numerous novel miRNAs have been identified which can regulate presumably every biological process in a wide range of metazoan species. In accordance, several insect miRNAs have been identified and functionally characterized. While regulatory RNA pathways are traditionally described at an intracellular level, studies reporting on the presence and potential role of extracellular (small) sRNAs have been emerging in the last decade, mainly in mammalian systems. Interestingly, evidence in several species indicates the functional transfer of extracellular RNAs between donor and recipient cells, illustrating RNA-based intercellular communication. In insects, however, reports on extracellular small RNAs are emerging but the number of detailed studies is still very limited. Here, we demonstrate the presence of stable sRNAs in the hemolymph of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. Moreover, the levels of several extracellular miRNAs (ex-miRNAs) present in locust hemolymph differed significantly between young and old fifth nymphal instars. In addition, we performed a 'proof of principle' experiment which suggested that extracellularly delivered miRNA molecules are capable of affecting the locusts' development.

Keywords: Agomir; Ecdysteroid; Extracellular small RNA; Insect; Moult.