A species-specific lncRNA modulates the reproductive ability of the Asian tiger mosquito

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Abstract Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) research has emerged as an independent scientific field in recent years. Despite their association with critical cellular and metabolic processes in plenty of organisms, lncRNAs are still a largely unexplored area in mosquito research. We propose that they could serve as exceptional tools for pest management due to unique features they possess. These include low inter-species sequence conservation and high tissue specificity. In the present study, we investigated the role of ovary-specific lncRNAs in the reproductive ability of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus . Through the analysis of transcriptomic data, we identified several lncRNAs that were differentially expressed upon blood feeding; we called these genes Norma ( NO n-coding R NA in M osquito ov A ries). We observed that silencing some of these Normas resulted in significant impact on mosquito fecundity and fertility. We further focused on Norma3 whose silencing resulted in 43% oviposition reduction and 53% hatching reduction of the laid eggs, compared to anti-GFP controls. Moreover, a significant downregulation of a neighboring (∼100 Kb) mucins cluster was observed in smaller anti-Norma3 ovaries, indicating a potential mechanism of in- cis regulation between Norma3 and the mucins. Our work constitutes the first experimental proof-of-evidence connecting lncRNAs with mosquito reproduction and opens a novel path for pest management.

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