Transposable Elements and Noncoding Sequences in Insects

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Molecular Biology and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 2135

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Interests: insect molecular biology; insect genomics; invasive species; genetic characterization of mass-reared insect colonies; forensic DNA analysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transposable elements (TEs) and noncoding sequences are fundamental to the structure and function of insect genomes, playing crucial roles in genome evolution, gene regulation, and adaptability. Insects, as the most diverse group of eukaryotes, present a unique and rich landscape for studying these genomic components. The variety of transposable elements in insects, ranging from well-characterized elements like P elements and piggyBac to more recently discovered families, highlights their evolutionary significance. Similarly, noncoding sequences, including regulatory regions, repetitive elements, and noncoding RNAs, contribute to the complexity of insect biology, influencing development, stress responses, and species diversification.

This Special Issue seeks to explore the diversity of transposable elements and noncoding sequences within insect genomes, with a particular focus on how these elements shape insect biology and evolution. We aim to highlight how specific insect species have harnessed these genetic components for adaptive advantages, including in the context of insect transgenesis, pest management, and evolutionary innovations.

(1) Aim of the Special Issue:

To conduct an in-depth exploration of the roles that transposable elements and noncoding sequences play in insect genomes, emphasizing their functional diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and contribution to insect adaptation.

(2) Suggested themes and article types for submissions:

  • The functional roles of transposable elements and noncoding sequences in insect genome architecture;
  • The evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements and noncoding DNA in insect species;
  • Interactions between transposable elements and regulatory noncoding sequences in insect genomes;
  • The role of noncoding RNAs in the regulation of transposable elements in insects;
  • Comparative genomics of transposable elements and noncoding sequences across insect taxa;
  • Applications of insect transgenesis using transposable elements;
  • Insect-specific transposable elements and their evolutionary implications in genome diversification;
  • The impact of transposable elements on insect adaptation to environmental stresses;
  • The role of noncoding sequences in shaping insect development and phenotypic diversity;
  • The molecular mechanisms governing transposable element mobilization in insect genomes.

We invite original research articles and reviews that provide new insights into the complex interactions between transposable elements and noncoding sequences in insects, and their broad biological implications.

Prof. Dr. David S. Haymer
Guest Editor

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. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • insect mobile elements
  • insect noncoding DNA
  • insect noncoding RNAs
  • genome evolution in insects
  • regulatory sequences in insect genomes
  • insect repetitive elements
  • insect gene regulation
  • lines and sines in insect genomes
  • transposable elements and insect transgenesis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 3959 KB  
Article
Transposable Elements Contribute to the Regulation of Long Noncoding RNAs in Drosophila melanogaster
by Yuli Gan, Lingyan Wang, Guoxian Liu, Xiruo Guo, Yiming Zhou, Kexin Chang, Zhonghui Zhang, Fang Yan, Qi Liu and Bing Chen
Insects 2024, 15(12), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15120950 - 30 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1771
Abstract
Background: Transposable elements (TEs) and noncoding sequences are major components of the genome, yet their functional contributions to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are not well understood. Although many lncRNAs originating from TEs (TE-lncRNAs) have been identified across various organisms, their characteristics and [...] Read more.
Background: Transposable elements (TEs) and noncoding sequences are major components of the genome, yet their functional contributions to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are not well understood. Although many lncRNAs originating from TEs (TE-lncRNAs) have been identified across various organisms, their characteristics and regulatory roles, particularly in insects, remain largely unexplored. This study integrated multi-omics data to investigate TE-lncRNAs in D. melanogaster, focusing on the influence of transposons across different omics levels. Results: We identified 16,118 transposons overlapping with lncRNA sequences that constitute 2119 TE-lncRNAs (40.4% of all lncRNAs) using 256 public RNA-seq samples and 15 lncRNA-seq samples of Drosophila S2 cells treated with heavy metals. Of these, 67.2% of TE-lncRNAs contain more than one TE. The LTR/Gypsy family was the most common transposon insertion. Transposons preferred to insert into promoters, transcription starting sites, and intronic regions, especially in chromosome ends. Compared with lncRNAs, TE-lncRNAs showed longer lengths, a lower conservation, and lower levels but a higher specificity of expression. Multi-omics data analysis revealed positive correlations between transposon insertions and chromatin openness at the pre-transcriptional level. Notably, a total of 516 TE-lncRNAs provided transcriptional factor binding sites through transposon insertions. The regulatory network of a key transcription factor was rewired by transposons, potentially recruiting other transcription factors to exert regulatory functions under heavy metal stress. Additionally, 99 TE-lncRNAs were associated with m6A methylation modification sites, and 115 TE-lncRNAs potentially provided candidate small open reading frames through transposon insertions. Conclusions: Our data analysis demonstrated that TEs contribute to the regulation of lncRNAs. TEs not only promote the transcriptional regulation of lncRNAs, but also facilitate their post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transposable Elements and Noncoding Sequences in Insects)
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