A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids

Wing dimorphism is a common phenomenon that plays key roles in the environmental adaptation of aphid; however, the signal transduction in response to environmental cues and the regulation mechanism related to this event remain unknown. Adenosine (A) to inosine (I) RNA editing is a post-transcription...

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Main Authors: Bin Zhu, Rui Wei, Wenjuan Hua, Lu Li, Wenlin Zhang, Pei Liang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-04-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/96540
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author Bin Zhu
Rui Wei
Wenjuan Hua
Lu Li
Wenlin Zhang
Pei Liang
author_facet Bin Zhu
Rui Wei
Wenjuan Hua
Lu Li
Wenlin Zhang
Pei Liang
author_sort Bin Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Wing dimorphism is a common phenomenon that plays key roles in the environmental adaptation of aphid; however, the signal transduction in response to environmental cues and the regulation mechanism related to this event remain unknown. Adenosine (A) to inosine (I) RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification that extends transcriptome variety without altering the genome, playing essential roles in numerous biological and physiological processes. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum by using PacBio long HiFi reads and Hi-C technology. The final genome assembly for M. dirhodum is 447.8 Mb, with 98.50% of the assembled sequences anchored to nine chromosomes. The contig and scaffold N50 values are 7.82 and 37.54 Mb, respectively. A total of 18,003 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 92.05% were functionally annotated. In addition, 11,678 A-to-I RNA-editing sites were systematically identified based on this assembled M. dirhodum genome, and two synonymous A-to-I RNA-editing sites on CYP18A1 were closely associated with transgenerational wing dimorphism induced by crowding. One of these A-to-I RNA-editing sites may prevent the binding of miR-3036-5p to CYP18A1, thus elevating CYP18A1 expression, decreasing 20E titer, and finally regulating the wing dimorphism of offspring. Meanwhile, crowding can also inhibit miR-3036-5p expression and further increase CYP18A1 abundance, resulting in winged offspring. These findings support that A-to-I RNA editing is a dynamic mechanism in the regulation of transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids and would advance our understanding of the roles of RNA editing in environmental adaptability and phenotypic plasticity.
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spelling doaj-art-e45fa6e43d444980a41c9c237af4a62d2025-08-20T03:04:21ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-04-011310.7554/eLife.96540A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphidsBin Zhu0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5632-8019Rui Wei1Wenjuan Hua2Lu Li3Wenlin Zhang4Pei Liang5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3083-8918Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, ChinaBerry Genomics Corporation, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, ChinaWing dimorphism is a common phenomenon that plays key roles in the environmental adaptation of aphid; however, the signal transduction in response to environmental cues and the regulation mechanism related to this event remain unknown. Adenosine (A) to inosine (I) RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification that extends transcriptome variety without altering the genome, playing essential roles in numerous biological and physiological processes. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum by using PacBio long HiFi reads and Hi-C technology. The final genome assembly for M. dirhodum is 447.8 Mb, with 98.50% of the assembled sequences anchored to nine chromosomes. The contig and scaffold N50 values are 7.82 and 37.54 Mb, respectively. A total of 18,003 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 92.05% were functionally annotated. In addition, 11,678 A-to-I RNA-editing sites were systematically identified based on this assembled M. dirhodum genome, and two synonymous A-to-I RNA-editing sites on CYP18A1 were closely associated with transgenerational wing dimorphism induced by crowding. One of these A-to-I RNA-editing sites may prevent the binding of miR-3036-5p to CYP18A1, thus elevating CYP18A1 expression, decreasing 20E titer, and finally regulating the wing dimorphism of offspring. Meanwhile, crowding can also inhibit miR-3036-5p expression and further increase CYP18A1 abundance, resulting in winged offspring. These findings support that A-to-I RNA editing is a dynamic mechanism in the regulation of transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids and would advance our understanding of the roles of RNA editing in environmental adaptability and phenotypic plasticity.https://elifesciences.org/articles/96540aphidRNA editingwing dimorphism
spellingShingle Bin Zhu
Rui Wei
Wenjuan Hua
Lu Li
Wenlin Zhang
Pei Liang
A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
eLife
aphid
RNA editing
wing dimorphism
title A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
title_full A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
title_fullStr A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
title_full_unstemmed A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
title_short A-to-I RNA editing of CYP18A1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
title_sort a to i rna editing of cyp18a1 mediates transgenerational wing dimorphism in aphids
topic aphid
RNA editing
wing dimorphism
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/96540
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