title: Insect and plant-derived miRNAs in greenbug (Schizaphis graminum) and yellow sugarcane aphid (Sipha flava) revealed by deep sequencing.
abstract: Schizaphis graminum (green bug; GB) and Sipha flava (yellow sugarcane aphid; YSA) are two cereal aphid species with broad host ranges capable of establishing on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and several switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars. Switchgrass and sorghum are staple renewable bioenergy crops that are vulnerable to damage by aphids, therefore, identifying novel targets to control aphids has the potential to drastically improve yields and reduce losses in these bioenergy crops. Despite the wealth of genomic and transcriptomic information available from a closely related model aphid species, the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), similar genomic information, including the identification of small RNAs, is still limited for GB and YSA. Deep sequencing of miRNAs expressed in GB and YSA was conducted and 72 and 56 miRNA candidates (including 14 and eight novel) were identified, respectively. Of the identified miRNAs, 45 were commonly expressed in both aphid species. Further, plant derived miRNAs were also detected in both aphid samples, including 13 (eight known and five novel) sorghum miRNAs and three (novel) barley miRNAs. In addition, potential aphid gene targets for the host plant-derived miRNAs were predicted. The establishment of miRNA repertoires in these two aphid species and the detection of plant-derived miRNA in aphids will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the role of miRNAs in regulating gene expression networks in these two aphids and the potential roles of plant miRNAs in mediating plant-insect interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, United States. Electronic address: hwang4@unl.edu.
authors.forename: Haichuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68503, United States.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68503, United States.
authors.forename: Yongchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68503, United States.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68503, United States.
authors.forename: Yunfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, United States.
authors.forename: Tiffany M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Heng-Moss
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, United States.
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wachholtz
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffery D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, United States.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Twigg
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Stored Product Inset and Engineering Research Unit, Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Manhattan, KS 66502, United States.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scully
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Wheat, Sorghum, and Forage Research Unit, Lincoln, NE 68583, United States.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Wheat, Sorghum, and Forage Research Unit, Lincoln, NE 68583, United States.
authors.forename: Gautam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sarath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D001467:Hordeum / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology; D058507:Host Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D008897:Panicum / Q000469:parasitology; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D031786:Saccharum / Q000469:parasitology; D045868:Sorghum / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D018749:RNA, Plant
keywords: Barley; Cereal-aphids; Next generation sequencing; Sorghum; miRNAs; mirDeep2