Abstract
High-throughput sequencing of the small RNA transcriptome of locust reveals differences in post-transcriptional regulation between solitary and swarming phases and provides insights into the evolution of insect small RNAs.
Highlights
All the reports on insect small RNAs come from holometabolous insects whose genome sequence data are available
After comparing the small RNA sequences with the locust expressed sequence tag (EST) database [13,14] as well as the Drosophila melanogaster rRNA, tRNA and snoRNA database [17], sequences that came from these types of RNAs (Figure 1b) were removed
Given that no methods were available to identify locust lineage-specific miRNA families in the absence of locust genomic information [26,27], we developed a new method that is based on high-throughput sequencing but does not require the presence of whole genome sequence data
Summary
All the reports on insect small RNAs come from holometabolous insects whose genome sequence data are available. The discovery of numerous small RNAs has increased interest in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation during development and other biological processes. Small RNAs include several kinds of short non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA (miRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), and Piwi-associated RNA (piRNA), which all regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Genome Biology 2009, Volume 10, Issue 1, Article R6 Wei et al R6.2 mately 22 nucleotide small-RNA sequences [1] that play key roles in many diverse biological processes, including development, viral defense, metabolism, and apoptosis [2,3,4,5]. Much of the research on endo-siRNAs has been done in plants [7], but recently endo-siRNAs derived from transposons and mRNAs in flies have been identified [8]. A new class of small RNAs, piRNA, was discovered two years ago. piRNAs, 23-30 nucleotides in length, interact with PIWI proteins and repress the expression of selfish genetic elements, such as transposons, in the germ line [9,10]
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