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Published on: May 4, 2018
Diet-derived transmission of MicroRNAs from host plant into honey bee Midgut
Leila Gharehdaghi1, Mohammad Reza Bakhtiarizadeh2, Kang He3
1Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
Background:
MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of small noncoding RNAs, which targets on thousands of mRNA and thus plays important roles in many biological processes. It has been reported that miRNA has cross-species regulation functions between parasitoid-host, or plant-animal, etc. For example, several plant miRNAs enter into the honey bees and regulate gene expression. However, whether cross-species regulation function of miRNAs is a universal mechanism remains a debate question.
Results:
We have evaluated transmission of miRNAs from sunflower and sedr plants into the midgut of honey bee using RNA-Seq analyses complemented with confirmation by RT-qPCR. The results showed that at least 11 plant miRNAs were found in the midgut of honey bee feeding by sunflower and sedr pollen. Among which, nine miRNAs, including miR-30d, miR-143, miR-148a, miR-21, let-7 g, miR-26a, miR-126, miR-27a, and miR-203, were shared between the sunflower- and sedr-fed honey bees, suggesting they might have essential roles in plant-insect interactions. Moreover, existence of these co-shared miRNAs presents a strong evidence to support the successful transmission of miRNAs into the midgut of the insect. In total, 121 honeybee mRNAs were predicted to be the target of these 11 plant-derived miRNAs. Interestingly, a sedr-derived miRNA, miR-206, targets on 53 honeybee genes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analyses showed that these target genes are significantly involved in hippo signaling pathway-fly, Wnt signaling pathway, and N-Glycan biosynthesis.
Conclusions:
In summary, these results provide evidence of cross-species regulation function of miRNA between honeybee and flowering host plants, extending our understanding of the molecular interactions between plants and animals.
Insights
Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) successfully transmit into honey bees, regulating insect genes and demonstrating cross-species interactions. This study confirms plant-to-animal miRNA transfer and its role in ecological relationships.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Ecology
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression.
- Cross-species miRNA regulation is observed in various interactions, including plant-animal systems.
- The universality of plant-to-animal miRNA transfer and its functional significance remains under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transmission of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) from host plants into honey bees.
- To identify specific plant miRNAs present in honey bee midguts after feeding on sunflower and sedr pollen.
- To explore the potential regulatory roles of these plant-derived miRNAs on honey bee gene expression.
Main Methods:
- RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was employed to analyze miRNA content in honey bee midguts.
- Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to confirm the presence of specific plant miRNAs.
- Bioinformatic analyses, including target prediction and KEGG pathway analysis, were performed.
Main Results:
- At least 11 plant miRNAs were detected in the midguts of honey bees fed on sunflower and sedr pollen.
- Nine common plant miRNAs were identified in both sunflower- and sedr-fed bees, suggesting conserved roles in plant-insect interactions.
- Plant-derived miRNAs were predicted to target 121 honey bee messenger RNAs (mRNAs), involved in pathways like hippo signaling and Wnt signaling.
Conclusions:
- This study provides robust evidence for the cross-species transmission and regulatory function of microRNAs (miRNAs) between flowering plants and honey bees.
- The findings support the hypothesis of plant-to-animal miRNA transfer as a significant mechanism in ecological interactions.
- The results expand the understanding of molecular communication between plants and animals through miRNA pathways.
