miRNAsofAedesaegypti (Linnaeus 1762) conserved in six orders of the class Insecta

Aedesaegypti L. is the most important vector of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, Mayaro, and yellow fever, which impact millions of people's health per year. MicroRNA profile has been described in some mosquito species as being important for biological processes such as digestion of blood, oviposition, sexual differentiation, insecticide resistance, and pathogens dissemination. We identified the miRNAs of Ae.aegypti females, males and eggs of a reference insecticide susceptible strain New Orleans and compared them with those other insects to determine miRNA fingerprint by new-generation sequencing. The sequences were analyzed using data mining tools and categorization, followed by differential expression analysis and conservation with other insects. A total of 55 conserved miRNAs were identified, of which 34 were of holometabolous insects and 21 shared with hemimetabolous insects. Of these miRNAs, 32 had differential expression within the stages analyzed. Three predominant functions of miRNA were related to embryonic development regulation, metamorphosis, and basal functions. The findings of this research describe new information on Ae.aegypti physiology which could be useful for the development of new control strategies, particularly in mosquito development and metamorphosis processes.

Automated summary

The study identified miRNAs of Ae.aegypti females, males and eggs, showing differential expression in different growth stages. The functions of these miRNAs mainly involve regulation of embryonic development, metamorphosis, and basic functions. The findings provide insights for the development of new control strategies.