miR ‐2940‐1 is involved in the circadian regulation of oviposition in Aedes albopictus

Aedes albopictus females exhibit oviposition rhythms that are controlled by an endogenous clock, regulated by the zeitgeber of light. Antagomir-mediated knockdown of the rhythmically expressedmiR-2940-1 affected the oviposition rhythm. AbstractThe vast majority of all global species have circadian rhythm cycles that allow them to adapt to natural environments. These regular rhythms are regulated by core clock genes and recent studies have also implicated roles for microRNAs in this regulation. Oviposition is an important circadian behavior in the reproductive cycle of insect vectors of diseases, and little is known about the rhythm or its regulation in mosquitoes.Aedes albopictus is a diurnal mosquito that transmits arboviruses and is the major cause of outbreaks of dengue fever in China. We analyzed the oviposition rhythm patterns ofA.  albopictus under different light/dark conditions and show that the mosquitoes have an oviposition peak between zeitgeber time  9 (ZT 9) and ZT 12. Furthermore, the antagomir-mediated knockdown of expression of the microRNAmiR-2940-1 affected the oviposition rhythm ofA.  albopictus. These data support the conclusion thatmiR-2940-1 is involved in the regulation of oviposition rhythm inA.  albopictus and provide a foundation for using oviposition rhythms as a new target for vector mosquito control.
Source: Insect Science - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research