First micro-transcriptome of the third instar larvae of Anastrepha
obliqua and analysis of its association with polyphagia in plants
Abstract
Phytophagous insects are organisms that use any part of a plant as a
food resource. Within this group, we focused on the pest insect
Anastrepha obliqua, a fly that feeds on fruits of plants of different
species and causes economic losses on the American continent. The
ability of the larvae of this species to feed on various fruits
(polyphagia) has been studied from different perspectives but never at
the level of microRNAs. These interfering RNAs can regulate gene
expression in tissues and organs of an organism. The objective of this
work was to obtain the first micro-transcriptome and to determine its
expression levels and possible target mRNAs when the third instar larvae
of the species A. obliqua feed on fruits of plants of three different
species: Spondias purpurea, Mangifera indica, and Averrhoa star fruit. A
total of 116 microRNAs were identified in the study, of which 37 were
completely new. 54 microRNAs were expressed in all larvae, regardless of
the fruit, while 44 were detected in larvae that fed on a specific
fruit. 21 microRNAs showed differential expression, and the annotation
of the targets showed that these interfering RNAs have important genes
that play roles in the development, feeding and detoxification of the
larvae as possible targets. The construction of the first
micro-transcriptome and the identification of possible targets for A.
obliqua provide new information for understanding the mechanisms that
control gene expression in this species of dipteran.