English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Background  microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as key regulators at post-transcriptional level in eukaryotic cells. In insects, most of the studies have focused in holometabolans while only recently two hemimetabolans ( Locusta migratoria  and  Acyrthosiphon pisum ) have had their miRNAs identified. Therefore, the study of the miRNAs of the evolutionarily basal hemimetabolan  Blattella germanica  may provide valuable insights on the structural and functional evolution of miRNAs.    Methodology/Principal Findings  Small RNA libraries of the cockroach  B. germanica  were built from the whole body of the last instar nymph, and the adult ovaries. The high throughput Solexa sequencing resulted in approximately 11 and 8 million reads for the whole-body and ovaries, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses identified 38 known miRNAs as well as 11 known miRNA*s. We also found 70 miRNA candidates conserved in other insects and 170 candidates specific to  B. germanica . The positive correlation between Solexa data and real-time quantitative PCR showed that number of reads can be used as a quantitative approach. Five novel miRNA precursors were identified and validated by PCR and sequencing. Known miRNAs and novel candidates were also validated by decreasing levels of their expression in dicer-1 RNAi knockdown individuals. The comparison of the two libraries indicates that whole-body nymph contain more known miRNAs than ovaries, whereas the adult ovaries are enriched with novel miRNA candidates.    Conclusions/Significance  Our study has identified many known miRNAs and novel miRNA candidates in the basal hemimetabolan insect  B. germanica , and most of the specific sequences were found in ovaries. Deep sequencing data reflect miRNA abundance and dicer-1 RNAi assay is shown to be a reliable method for validation of novel miRNAs.

Deep Sequencing of Organ- and Stage-Specific microRNAs in the Evolutionarily Basal Insect Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae)