Adverse interactions between micro-RNAs and target genes from different species
Tian Tang1, Supriya Kumar, Yang Shen
1State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Summary
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets may not coevolve as assumed. Heterospecific miRNA interactions in Drosophila significantly reduce fly viability and cause widespread gene misexpression, revealing detectable fitness costs.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular biology
- Genetics
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulators of gene expression.
- It is hypothesized that miRNAs and their targets coevolve, but this remains unproven.
- Adverse interactions between species-specific miRNAs and their targets can reduce organismal fitness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test and quantify the strength of heterospecific miRNA interactions.
- To investigate the fitness consequences of cross-species miRNA and target interactions.
- To explore the buffering role of miRNAs in transcriptome regulation.
Main Methods:
- Transgenic experiments were conducted in Drosophila species.
- Overexpression of conserved microRNA clusters (miR310s) from Drosophila melanogaster (Dm310s) and Drosophila pseudoobscura (Dp310s) in D. melanogaster.
- Viability assays and gene expression analysis were performed.
Main Results:
- Flies overexpressing heterospecific Dp310s showed one-third the viability of those overexpressing conspecific Dm310s.
- Heterospecific interactions led to 3-10 times more misexpressed genes compared to conspecific interactions.
- The number of predicted targets was similar for both conspecific and heterospecific miRNAs.
Conclusions:
- Heterospecific miRNA interactions can impose significant and detectable fitness costs.
- miRNAs may function to buffer transcriptome fluctuations, and evolved buffering can be disrupted by heterospecific combinations.
- The assumption of miRNA-target coevolution has implications for interspecies interactions and fitness.
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