MicroRNAs in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis: extending Drosophilid miRNA conservation to the Tephritidae.

Bernarda Calla,Scott M Geib

doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1835-3

Bernarda Calla, Scott M Geib

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-015-1835-3

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Abstract

BackgroundThe oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, is an important plant pest species in the family Tephritidae. It is a phytophagous species with broad host range, and while not established in the mainland United States, is a species of great concern for introduction. Despite the vast amount of information available from the closely related model organism Drosophila melanogaster, information at the genome and transcriptome level is still very limited for this species. Small RNAs act as regulatory molecules capable of determining transcript levels in the cells. The most studied small RNAs are micro RNAs, which may impact as much as 30 % of all protein coding genes in animals.ResultsWe have sequenced small RNAs (sRNAs) from the Tephritid fruit fly, B. dorsalis (oriental fruit fly), specifically sRNAs corresponding to the 17 to 28 nucleotides long fraction of total RNA. Sequencing yielded more than 16 million reads in total. Seventy five miRNAs orthologous to known miRNAs were identified, as well as five additional novel miRNAs that might be specific to the genera, or to the Tephritid family. We constructed a gene expression profile for the identified miRNAs, and used comparative analysis with D. melanogaster to support our expression data. In addition, several miRNA clusters were identified in the genome that show conservancy with D. melanogaster. Potential targets for the identified miRNAs were also searched.ConclusionsThe data presented here adds to our growing pool of information concerning the genome structure and characteristics of true fruit flies. It provides a basis for comparative studies with other Dipteran and within Tephritid species, and can be used for applied research such as in the development of new control strategies based on gene silencing and transgenesis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1835-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, is an important plant pest species in the family Tephritidae
Playing an important role in this system are the small RNAs which act as regulatory molecules capable of determining target mRNA expression levels [3, 4]
Among the most studied are micro RNAs and small interfering RNAs; both types present in most species

Summary

Introduction

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, is an important plant pest species in the family Tephritidae. True fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), constitute a family of mostly phytophagous species, many of which are considered to be serious pests of numerous plants Within this family, species in the highly invasive genera Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Ceratitis and Rhagoletis are of worldwide economic importance, restricted by quarantine listings in Europe [1], and subject to constant eradication and establishment prevention in the United States. Despite the vast amount of information available from the closely related model organism Drosophila melanogaster, information at the genome and transcriptome level is still very limited in true fruit flies. Playing an important role in this system are the small RNAs (sRNA) which act as regulatory molecules capable of determining target mRNA expression levels [3, 4]. MiRNAs originate in genomic loci and are very often expressed in a tissue-

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