Abstract
Since a plant miRNA (miR168) cross-regulating a mammalian transcript was reported, miRNA-mediated cross-kingdom communication has become one of the most compelling but controversial topics. In the present study, we used silkworm and mulberry, which is a model for studies on the interactions between the insect and its host plant, to address whether miRNA-mediated cross-kingdom communication is a common phenomenon. The results of TA clone, Sanger sequencing and droplet digital PCR demonstrated that several mulberry-derived miRNAs could enter to silkworm hemolymph and multiple tested tissues. Synthetic miR166b was also detected in hemolymph and fat body. However, the ingestion of synthetic miR166b did not play roles in silkworm physiological progress, which was revealed by RNA-seq analyses, RT-PCR, and phenotypic investigations. Mulberry miRNAs are convincingly transferred to the silkworm orally and no physiological process associated with the miRNAs was demonstrable. The results provided a new aspect of cross-kingdom miRNA transfer.
Highlights
MiRNAs, which are a class of ~22 nt non-coding small RNA molecules, play vital roles by compounding to transcripts of target genes to inhibit translation or degrade mRNA of target genes in animals and plants[1]
We aligned silkworm hemolymph small RNA sequences (GSE48168)[17] with mulberry miRNAs revealed by generation sequencing[18]
Using T-A clone and Sanger sequencing assay, we revealed that mulberry-derived miRNAs transferred to silkworm hemolymph, and to other tissues such as fat body and silk gland
Summary
MiRNAs, which are a class of ~22 nt non-coding small RNA molecules, play vital roles by compounding to transcripts of target genes to inhibit translation or degrade mRNA of target genes in animals and plants[1]. Zhang et al discovered that rice-derived miRNAs cross the mammalian gastrointestinal tract to the mouse bloodstream, liver, and other tissues, where they regulate cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of low-density lipoprotein receptor-associated protein 1 (LDLRAP1)[12]. These findings provide new insights for genetic regulation by food ingestion and raise the prospect of engineering food or using oral small nucleic acid to prevent or cure diseases[13,14]. RNA-seq was performed to explore the physiological progresses associated with one of plant miRNA, miR166b, in silkworm
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