Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i>
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators involved in a wide range of biological processes in insects, yet little is known about their roles in stingless bees. Here, we present the first characterization of miRNAs in <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> using small RNAs (sRNAs...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Non-Coding RNA |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-553X/11/3/48 |
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| author | Dalliane Oliveira Soares Lucas Yago Melo Ferreira Gabriel Victor Pina Rodrigues João Pedro Nunes Santos Ícaro Santos Lopes Lucas Barbosa de Amorim Conceição Tatyana Chagas Moura Isaque João da Silva de Faria Roenick Proveti Olmo Weyder Cristiano Santana Marco Antônio Costa Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar |
| author_facet | Dalliane Oliveira Soares Lucas Yago Melo Ferreira Gabriel Victor Pina Rodrigues João Pedro Nunes Santos Ícaro Santos Lopes Lucas Barbosa de Amorim Conceição Tatyana Chagas Moura Isaque João da Silva de Faria Roenick Proveti Olmo Weyder Cristiano Santana Marco Antônio Costa Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar |
| author_sort | Dalliane Oliveira Soares |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators involved in a wide range of biological processes in insects, yet little is known about their roles in stingless bees. Here, we present the first characterization of miRNAs in <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> using small RNAs (sRNAs) deep sequencing. A total of 193 high-confidence mature miRNAs were identified, including 106 <i>M. quadrifasciata</i>-exclusive sequences. Expression profiling revealed that mqu-miR-1 and mqu-miR-276 together accounted for over 70% of all miRNA reads, suggesting their central roles in development and reproduction. Comparative analyses showed a higher conservation of <i>M. quadrifasciata</i> miRNAs with other Hymenopterans, especially <i>Apis mellifera</i> and <i>Bombus</i> spp. Putative target genes were predicted using a consensus approach, and functional annotation indicated their involvement in diverse biological regulatory pathways. This work represents the first comprehensive identification of the miRNA repertoire in stingless bees using sRNAs and provides a valuable foundation for understanding miRNA-mediated gene regulation in this ecologically and economically important pollinator. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f800c2ea49684b0a8fa8a08caf9d8ce6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2311-553X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Non-Coding RNA |
| spelling | doaj-art-f800c2ea49684b0a8fa8a08caf9d8ce62025-08-20T03:27:21ZengMDPI AGNon-Coding RNA2311-553X2025-06-011134810.3390/ncrna11030048Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i>Dalliane Oliveira Soares0Lucas Yago Melo Ferreira1Gabriel Victor Pina Rodrigues2João Pedro Nunes Santos3Ícaro Santos Lopes4Lucas Barbosa de Amorim Conceição5Tatyana Chagas Moura6Isaque João da Silva de Faria7Roenick Proveti Olmo8Weyder Cristiano Santana9Marco Antônio Costa10Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar11Department of Biological Sciences, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilDepartment of Biochemistry and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, BrazilDepartment of Biological Sciences, Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilDepartment of Biochemistry and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, BrazilDepartment of Biochemistry and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, BrazilCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UPR9022, Inserm U1257, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 16 CEDEX, 67084 Strasbourg, FranceDepartment of Entomology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, BrazilDepartment of Biochemistry and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Computational Modeling in Science and Technology, Department of Engineering and Computing, State University of Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus 45662-900, BrazilMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators involved in a wide range of biological processes in insects, yet little is known about their roles in stingless bees. Here, we present the first characterization of miRNAs in <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> using small RNAs (sRNAs) deep sequencing. A total of 193 high-confidence mature miRNAs were identified, including 106 <i>M. quadrifasciata</i>-exclusive sequences. Expression profiling revealed that mqu-miR-1 and mqu-miR-276 together accounted for over 70% of all miRNA reads, suggesting their central roles in development and reproduction. Comparative analyses showed a higher conservation of <i>M. quadrifasciata</i> miRNAs with other Hymenopterans, especially <i>Apis mellifera</i> and <i>Bombus</i> spp. Putative target genes were predicted using a consensus approach, and functional annotation indicated their involvement in diverse biological regulatory pathways. This work represents the first comprehensive identification of the miRNA repertoire in stingless bees using sRNAs and provides a valuable foundation for understanding miRNA-mediated gene regulation in this ecologically and economically important pollinator.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-553X/11/3/48gene regulationHymenopteraMeliponini miRNAnon-coding RNAspollinator genomics |
| spellingShingle | Dalliane Oliveira Soares Lucas Yago Melo Ferreira Gabriel Victor Pina Rodrigues João Pedro Nunes Santos Ícaro Santos Lopes Lucas Barbosa de Amorim Conceição Tatyana Chagas Moura Isaque João da Silva de Faria Roenick Proveti Olmo Weyder Cristiano Santana Marco Antônio Costa Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> Non-Coding RNA gene regulation Hymenoptera Meliponini miRNA non-coding RNAs pollinator genomics |
| title | Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> |
| title_full | Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> |
| title_fullStr | Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> |
| title_short | Insights into miRNAs of the Stingless Bee <i>Melipona quadrifasciata</i> |
| title_sort | insights into mirnas of the stingless bee i melipona quadrifasciata i |
| topic | gene regulation Hymenoptera Meliponini miRNA non-coding RNAs pollinator genomics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-553X/11/3/48 |
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