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A time course analysis through diapause reveals dynamic temporal patterns of microRNAs associated with endocrine regulation in the butterfly Pieris napi
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  • Kevin Roberts,
  • Rachel Steward,
  • Philip Süess,
  • Philipp Lehmann,
  • Christopher Wheat
Kevin Roberts
Stockholm University

Corresponding Author:kevin.roberts@zoologi.su.se

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Rachel Steward
Stockholm University
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Philip Süess
Stockholm University
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Philipp Lehmann
University of Greifswald
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Christopher Wheat
Stockholm University
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Abstract

Organisms inhabiting highly seasonal environments must cope with a wide range of environmentally induced challenges. Many seasonal challenges require extensive physiological modification to survive. In winter, to survive extreme cold and limited resources, insects commonly enter diapause, which is an endogenously derived dormant state associated with minimized cellular processes and low energetic expenditure. Due to the high degree of complexity involved in diapause, substantial cellular regulation is required, of which our understanding primarily derives from the transcriptome via messenger RNA expression dynamics. Here we aim to advance our understanding of diapause by investigating microRNA (miRNA) expression in diapausing and direct developing pupae of the butterfly Pieris napi. We identified coordinated patterns of miRNA expression throughout diapause in both head and abdomen tissues of pupae, and via miRNA target identification, found several expression patterns to be enriched for relevant diapause-related physiological processes. We also identified two candidate miRNAs, miR-14-5p and miR-2a-3p, that are likely involved in diapause progression through the ecdysone synthesis pathway, a critical regulator of diapause termination. miR-14-5p targets phantom, a gene in the ecdysone synthesis pathway, and miR-2a-3p, which has been found to be expressed in response to ecdysone. Together, the expression patterns of these two miRNAs match our current understanding of the timing of hormonal regulation of diapause in P. napi and provide interesting candidates to further explore the mechanistic role of microRNAs in diapause regulation.
Submitted to Molecular Ecology
15 Feb 20241st Revision Received
16 Feb 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
04 Mar 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
06 Mar 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
13 Mar 20242nd Revision Received
14 Mar 2024Submission Checks Completed
14 Mar 2024Assigned to Editor
14 Mar 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending