Drosha, Dicer-1 and Argonaute-1 in the desert locust: phylogenetic analyses, transcript profiling and regulation during phase transition and feeding.
In this article, we identify and characterise the miRNA machinery components Drosha, Dicer-1 and Argonaute-1 of the desert locust. By means of phylogenetic analyses, we reveal important insights in the evolutionary context of these components. Our data illustrate that insect Argonaute-1 proteins form a monophyletic group with ALG-1 and ALG-2 of Caenorhabditis elegans and with the four (non-Piwi) Argonaute proteins present in humans. On the other hand, humans apparently lack clear homologues of the insect Argonaute-2 proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that drosha, dicer-1 and argonaute-1 display wide transcript tissue-distribution in adult desert locusts, and that during locust phase transition and feeding of starved locusts the expression levels of the miRNA pathway are regulated at the transcript level.
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Niels.Wynant@bio.kuleuven.be.
Niels
N
Wynant
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Dulce
D
Santos
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Sudheendra Hebbar
SH
Subramanyam
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Heleen
H
Verlinden
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Jozef
J
Vanden Broeck
D000818:Animals; D060565:Argonaute Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006110:Grasshoppers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases
Argonaute; Dicer; Drosha; Gregarisation; Insect; Micro RNA; Orthoptera; Phenotypic plasticity; Piwi; RNA interference (RNAi); Schistocerca gregaria; dsRNA; piRNA; siRNA