Abstract
Varroa destructor is a major pathogenic driver of the Western honeybee colony losses globally. Understanding the developmental regulation of V. destructor is critical to develop effective control measures. Development is a complex biological process regulated by numerous genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs); however, the underlying regulation of lncRNAs in the development of V. destructor remains unknown. In this study, we analyzed the RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data derived from the four stages of female V. destructor in the reproductive phase (i.e., egg, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult). The identified differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs exhibited a stage-specific pattern during developmental transitions. Further functional enrichment established that fat digestion and absorption, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway play key roles in the maturation of female V. destructor. Moreover, the lncRNAs and mRNAs of some pivotal genes were significantly upregulated at the deutonymph stage, such as cuticle protein 65/6.4/63/38 and mucin 5AC, suggesting that deutonymph is the key stage of metamorphosis development and pathogen resistance acquisition for female V. destructor. Our study provides novel insights into a foundational understanding of V. destructor biology.
Highlights
Varroa destructor has been and still is the greatest biotic threat to the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) worldwide since its migration from the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana)
The potential biological function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) during the developmental transitions of female V. destructor and their regulatory roles are still poorly understood. To address these gaps in knowledge, in this study, we analyzed the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs across all the developmental stages of female V. destructor.Using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), we identified a large number of new lncRNAs and mRNAs, expanding the genetic database of V. destructor to a new depth
To gain a better understanding of the developmental regulation of female V. destructor, in this study, we performed an integrative analysis of lncRNA-mRNA co-expression crossing all the developmental stages
Summary
Varroa destructor has been and still is the greatest biotic threat to the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) worldwide since its migration from the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana). As an obligate ectoparasitic mite, V. destructor feeds primarily on the fat body of brood and adult honeybees and results in decreased body weight, malformation, as well as a shorter life span of adult lncRNA–mRNA Regulation Network of Varroa destructor Development bees (Rosenkranz et al, 2010; Ramsey et al, 2019). It has been shown that the development of V. destructor relies on effective coordination between physiological readiness and responsiveness to host cues (Evans and Cook, 2018). These advances have improved our understanding of this complex parasite, our knowledge of V. destructor biology is still insufficient, especially the regulation during the developmental transition from egg to adult remains to be explored
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