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Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models
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Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 11849

Special Issue Editors

Dr. William G. Bendena

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Interests: genomics; proteomics; metabolomics; developmental pattern formation; crustacean endocrinology
Dr. Jerome H. L. Hui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Centre of Soybean Research, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 100871, China
Interests: invertebrates; Drosophila; Caenorhabditis; microRNAs; neuropeptides; hormonal regulation; behaviour; evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the fact that more than 97% of the described animal species are invertebrates, our understanding of their biology remains relatively poor when comparing to vertebrates. Invertebrates are dominant in many different habitats on Earth and are highly relevant to the human society at numerous aspects.

In this Special Issue, we aim to provide the latest knowledge on a few invertebrate models, with a focus on either the hormonal or noncoding RNA regulation. Both research and review articles are welcomed, in order to provide the readers an insight into this important and yet relatively neglected group of animals.

The current deadline of this Special Issue is set at 31 December 2022. Informal enquiries can be sent to: [email protected] and/or [email protected]. Look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. William G. Bendena
Dr. Jerome H. L. Hui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • invertebrate
  • hormone
  • noncoding RNA
  • microRNA
  • model

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3691 KiB  
Article
Identification and Characterization of Development-Related microRNAs in the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum
by Chengjun Li, Wei Wu, Jing Tang, Fan Feng, Peng Chen and Bin Li
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6685; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076685 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1745
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in insect growth and development, but they were poorly studied in insects. In this study, a total of 883 miRNAs were detected from the early embryo (EE), late larva (LL), early pupa (EP), late pupa (LP), and early [...] Read more.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in insect growth and development, but they were poorly studied in insects. In this study, a total of 883 miRNAs were detected from the early embryo (EE), late larva (LL), early pupa (EP), late pupa (LP), and early adult (EA) of Tribolium castaneum by microarray assay. Further analysis identified 179 differentially expressed unique miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) during these developmental stages. Of the DEmiRNAs, 102 DEmiRNAs exhibited stage-specific expression patterns during development, including 53 specifically highly expressed miRNAs and 20 lowly expressed miRNAs in EE, 19 highly expressed miRNAs in LL, 5 weakly expressed miRNAs in EP, and 5 abundantly expressed miRNAs in EA. These miRNAs were predicted to target 747, 265, 472, 234, and 121 genes, respectively. GO enrichment analysis indicates that the targets were enriched by protein phosphorylation, calcium ion binding, sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity, and cytoplasm. An RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the DEmiRNAs tca-miR-6-3p, tca-miR-9a-3p, tca-miR-9d-3p, tca-miR-11-3p, and tca-miR-13a-3p led to defects in metamorphosis and wing development of T. castaneum. This study has completed the identification and characterization of development-related miRNAs in T. castaneum, and will enable us to investigate their roles in the growth and development of insect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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18 pages, 4963 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Role of a Novel Interleukin-17 Homolog from Invertebrate Marine Mussel Mytilus coruscus in Innate Immune Response: Is Negative Regulation by Mc-Novel_miR_145 the Key?
by Xinglu Chen, Longmei Qiu, Xirui Si, Xiaolin Zhang, Baoying Guo, Zhi Liao, Xiaojun Yan and Pengzhi Qi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5928; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065928 - 21 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1429
Abstract
Interleukin-17 (IL-17) represents a class of proinflammatory cytokines involved in chronic inflammatory and degenerative disorders. Prior to this study, it was predicted that an IL-17 homolog could be targeted by Mc-novel_miR_145 to participate in the immune response of Mytilus coruscus. This [...] Read more.
Interleukin-17 (IL-17) represents a class of proinflammatory cytokines involved in chronic inflammatory and degenerative disorders. Prior to this study, it was predicted that an IL-17 homolog could be targeted by Mc-novel_miR_145 to participate in the immune response of Mytilus coruscus. This study employed a variety of molecular and cell biology research methods to explore the association between Mc-novel_miR_145 and IL-17 homolog and their immunomodulatory effects. The bioinformatics prediction confirmed the affiliation of the IL-17 homolog with the mussel IL-17 family, followed by quantitative real-time PCR assays (qPCR) to demonstrate that McIL-17-3 was highly expressed in immune-associated tissues and responded to bacterial challenges. Results from luciferase reporter assays confirmed the potential of McIL-17-3 to activate downstream NF-κb and its targeting by Mc-novel_miR_145 in HEK293 cells. The study also produced McIL-17-3 antiserum and found that Mc-novel_miR_145 negatively regulates McIL-17-3 via western blotting and qPCR assays. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis indicated that Mc-novel_miR_145 negatively regulated McIL-17-3 to alleviate LPS-induced apoptosis. Collectively, the current results showed that McIL-17-3 played an important role in molluscan immune defense against bacterial attack. Furthermore, McIL-17-3 was negatively regulated by Mc-novel_miR_145 to participate in LPS-induced apoptosis. Our findings provide new insights into noncoding RNA regulation in invertebrate models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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22 pages, 2754 KiB  
Article
Knockdown of the Halloween Genes spook, shadow and shade Influences Oocyte Development, Egg Shape, Oviposition and Hatching in the Desert Locust
by Sam Schellens, Cynthia Lenaerts, María del Rocío Pérez Baca, Dorien Cools, Paulien Peeters, Elisabeth Marchal and Jozef Vanden Broeck
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 9232; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169232 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1911
Abstract
Ecdysteroids are widely investigated for their role during the molting cascade in insects; however, they are also involved in the development of the female reproductive system. Ecdysteroids are synthesized from cholesterol, which is further converted via a series of enzymatic steps into the [...] Read more.
Ecdysteroids are widely investigated for their role during the molting cascade in insects; however, they are also involved in the development of the female reproductive system. Ecdysteroids are synthesized from cholesterol, which is further converted via a series of enzymatic steps into the main molting hormone, 20-hydoxyecdysone. Most of these biosynthetic conversion steps involve the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) hydroxylases, which are encoded by the Halloween genes. Three of these genes, spook (spo), phantom (phm) and shade (shd), were previously characterized in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Based on recent sequencing data, we have now identified the sequences of disembodied (dib) and shadow (sad), for which we also analyzed spatiotemporal expression profiles using qRT-PCR. Furthermore, we investigated the possible role(s) of five different Halloween genes in the oogenesis process by means of RNA interference mediated knockdown experiments. Our results showed that depleting the expression of SchgrSpo, SchgrSad and SchgrShd had a significant impact on oocyte development, oviposition and hatching of the eggs. Moreover, the shape of the growing oocytes, as well as the deposited eggs, was very drastically altered by the experimental treatments. Consequently, it can be proposed that these three enzymes play an important role in oogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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Review

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20 pages, 2929 KiB  
Review
A Compilation of the Diverse miRNA Functions in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster Development
by Daniel C. Quesnelle, William G. Bendena and Ian D. Chin-Sang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 6963; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24086963 - 9 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1824
Abstract
MicroRNAs are critical regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression in a wide range of taxa, including invertebrates, mammals, and plants. Since their discovery in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, miRNA research has exploded, and they are being identified in almost every facet of development. Invertebrate [...] Read more.
MicroRNAs are critical regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression in a wide range of taxa, including invertebrates, mammals, and plants. Since their discovery in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, miRNA research has exploded, and they are being identified in almost every facet of development. Invertebrate model organisms, particularly C. elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster, are ideal systems for studying miRNA function, and the roles of many miRNAs are known in these animals. In this review, we compiled the functions of many of the miRNAs that are involved in the development of these invertebrate model species. We examine how gene regulation by miRNAs shapes both embryonic and larval development and show that, although many different aspects of development are regulated, several trends are apparent in the nature of their regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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19 pages, 1411 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances and Future Potential of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Insects
by Junaid Zafar, Junlin Huang, Xiaoxia Xu and Fengliang Jin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2605; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032605 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1941
Abstract
Over the last decade, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have witnessed a steep rise in interest amongst the scientific community. Because of their functional significance in several biological processes, i.e., alternative splicing, epigenetics, cell cycle, dosage compensation, and gene expression regulation, lncRNAs have transformed [...] Read more.
Over the last decade, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have witnessed a steep rise in interest amongst the scientific community. Because of their functional significance in several biological processes, i.e., alternative splicing, epigenetics, cell cycle, dosage compensation, and gene expression regulation, lncRNAs have transformed our understanding of RNA’s regulatory potential. However, most knowledge concerning lncRNAs comes from mammals, and our understanding of the potential role of lncRNAs amongst insects remains unclear. Technological advances such as RNA-seq have enabled entomologists to profile several hundred lncRNAs in insect species, although few are functionally studied. This article will review experimentally validated lncRNAs from different insects and the lncRNAs identified via bioinformatic tools. Lastly, we will discuss the existing research challenges and the future of lncRNAs in insects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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Other

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11 pages, 4675 KiB  
Hypothesis
Rethinking Sesquiterpenoids: A Widespread Hormone in Animals
by Wai Lok So, Zhenpeng Kai, Zhe Qu, William G. Bendena and Jerome H. L. Hui
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 5998; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23115998 - 26 May 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2114
Abstract
The sesquiterpenoid hormone juvenile hormone (JH) controls development, reproduction, and metamorphosis in insects, and has long been thought to be confined to the Insecta. While it remains true that juvenile hormone is specifically synthesized in insects, other types or forms of sesquiterpenoids have [...] Read more.
The sesquiterpenoid hormone juvenile hormone (JH) controls development, reproduction, and metamorphosis in insects, and has long been thought to be confined to the Insecta. While it remains true that juvenile hormone is specifically synthesized in insects, other types or forms of sesquiterpenoids have also been discovered in distantly related animals, such as the jellyfish. Here, we combine the latest literature and annotate the sesquiterpenoid biosynthetic pathway genes in different animal genomes. We hypothesize that the sesquiterpenoid hormonal system is an ancestral system established in an animal ancestor and remains widespread in many animals. Different animal lineages have adapted different enzymatic routes from a common pathway, with cnidarians producing farnesoic acid (FA); non-insect protostomes and non-vertebrate deuterostomes such as cephalochordate and echinoderm synthesizing FA and methyl farnesoate (MF); and insects producing FA, MF, and JH. Our hypothesis revolutionizes the current view on the sesquiterpenoids in the metazoans, and forms a foundation for a re-investigation of the roles of this important and yet neglected type of hormone in different animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hormonal/Noncoding RNA Regulation in Invertebrate Models)
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