Analysis of somatic piRNAs in the malaria mosquito <i>Anopheles coluzzii</i> reveals atypical classes of genic small RNAs.

ABSTRACT: Piwi-interacting small RNAs (piRNA) play a key role in controlling the activity of transposable elements (TEs) in the animal germline. In diverse arthropod species, including the pathogen vectors mosquitoes, the piRNA pathway is also active in nongonadal somatic tissues, where its targets and functions are less clear. Here, we studied the features of small RNA production in head and thorax tissues of an uninfected laboratory strain of Anopheles coluzzii focusing on the 24-32-nt-long RNAs. Small RNAs derived from repetitive elements constitute a minor fraction while most small RNAs process from long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and protein-coding gene mRNAs. The majority of small RNAs derived from repetitive elements and lncRNAs exhibited typical piRNAs features. By contrast, majority of

SUBMITTER: Funikov S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11834523 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature