《环境昆虫学报》

媒介蚊虫可传播多种重要人类病原体是世界公共卫生的巨大威胁。雌蚊吸血后卵巢发育，且可多次吸血、产卵，这些生物学特征是蚊虫传播疾病的前提也是其种群不断全球扩张的重要原因。深入了解蚊虫血餐后卵巢发育的分子调控机制，将有助于寻求蚊虫种群控制的新策略。环状RNA（Circular RNA，circRNA）是一种环状闭合的单链RNA分子，其在生物体内可以通过多种方式参与基因调控从而发挥多种重要生物学功能，且分子结构与功能在物种间具有一定保守性。本研究前期发现了白纹伊蚊Aedes albopictus雌蚊卵巢高表达的circRNA-407，其可以通过特异结合miR-9a来影响其下游靶基因叉头框蛋白L（Fork head box L，FoxL），从而实现调控雌蚊血餐后卵巢发育的作用。但circRNA-407在蚊虫是否普遍存在，功能是否保守未知。本研究基于circRNA-407源基因（Host gene）进行了基因结构与分子进化分析，通过RT-PCR对其他蚊种的同源circRNA-407进行了验证，通过生物信息学分析对circRNA-407/miR-9a/FoxL分子调控通路的保守性进行了探讨。RT-PCR与测序结果首次证实了circRNA-407在蚊科中保守存在。分子进化与基因结构分析显示circRNA-407成环于其源基因的4个保守外显子，此结构出现于双翅的共同祖先。生物信息学分析证实主要蚊种circRNA-407与FoxL均具有保守miR-9a潜在的结合位点，暗示circRNA-407/miR-9a/FoxL分子通路参与雌蚊卵巢发育的调控是保守存在的。该研究为揭示了蚊虫重要生殖调控circRNA分子的进化起源与保守特征，为利用该类分子为潜在靶标分子进行种群控制提供了理论基础。

英文摘要:

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are undoubtedly the most important insect vectors for the transmitting parasitic and viral infections to humans and animals, posing persistent public health risks globally. Following blood ingestion, female mosquitoes initiate ovarian development and undergo repeated blood feeding and oviposition cycles throughout their lifespan. These biological traits serve as the foundation for the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases and significantly contribute to the global expansion of mosquito populations. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanism in ovarian development post-blood meal is essential for development of novel strategies for mosquito population control. Circular RNA (circRNA) represents a single-stranded RNA molecule characterized by their covalently closed circular structure. They play the critical biological roles through diverse gene regulatory mechanisms and exhibit strong cross-species conservation. In our previous study, we identified a highly expressed circRNA-407 in the ovaries of Aedes albopictus females. This circRNA was found to regulate ovarian development by specifically binding to miR-9a, thereby influencing the expression of its downstream target gene Forkhead Box L (FoxL). However, the prevalence of circRNA-407 across mosquito species and the evolutionary conservation of its functional role remain to be further elucidated. In this study, we conducted gene structure and molecular evolutionary analyses of circRNA-407 and its host gene. Homologous sequences of circRNA-407 were detected in multiple mosquito species using RT-PCR, while RNA-hybrid tools were employed to predict potential miRNA binding sites.. Our RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing results first confirmedthe conservation of circRNA-407 within the Culicidae family. Molecular evolution and gene structure analyses revealed that circRNA-407 comprises four conserved exons derived from its host gene, with evolutionary origins tracing back to a common ancestor of Diptera. Bioinformatics analysis further demonstrated that both circRNA-407 and FoxL in major vector mosquitoes harbor conserved miR-9a binding sites, suggesting that the circRNA-407/miR-9a/FoxL regulatory axis governing ovarian development is evolutionarily conserved. These findings establish a foundation for using the conserved essential gene involved in mosquito reproduction as potential targets for population management.

查看全文查看/发表评论下载PDF阅读器

关闭