Evolutionary study of duplications of the miRNA machinery in aphids associated with striking rate acceleration and changes in expression profiles.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The sequencing of the genome of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum revealed an unusual expansion of the miRNA machinery, with two argonaute-1, two dicer-1 and four pasha gene copies. In this report, we have undertaken a deeper evolutionary analysis of the phylogenetic timing of these gene duplications and of the associated selective pressures by sequencing the two copies of ago-1 and dcr-1 in different aphid species of the subfamily Aphidinae. We have also carried out an analysis of the expression of both copies of ago-1 and dcr-1 by semi-quantitative PCR in different morphs of the pea aphid life cycle.

Results

The analysis has shown that the duplication of ago-1 occurred in an ancestor of the subfamily Aphidinae while the duplication of dcr-1 appears to be more re

SUBMITTER: Ortiz-Rivas B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3536612 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature