The conserved microRNA miR-8-3p coordinates the expression of V-ATPase subunits to regulate ecdysone biosynthesis for Drosophila metamorphosis

Do Hwan Lim, Seungjae Lee, Min Seok Choi, Jee Yun Han, Youngmo Seong, Dokyun Na, Young Soo Kwon, Young Sik Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The steroid hormone ecdysone is the central regulator of insect metamorphosis, during which a growing, immature larva is remodeled, through pupal stages, to a reproductive adult. However, the underlying mechanisms of ecdysone-mediated metamorphosis remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we identified metamorphosis-associated microRNAs (miRNAs) and their potential targets by cross-linking immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing of endogenous Argonaute 1 protein in Drosophila. Interestingly, miR-8-3p targeted five Vha genes encoding distinct subunits of vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase), which has a vital role in the organellar acidification. The expression of ecdysone-responsive miR-8-3p is normally downregulated during Drosophila metamorphosis, but temporary overexpression of miR-8-3p in the whole body at the end of larval development led to defects in metamorphosis and survival, hallmarks of aberrant ecdysone signaling. In addition, miR-8-3p was expressed in the prothoracic gland (PG), which produces and releases ecdysone in response to prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH). Notably, overexpression of miR-8-3p or knockdown of its Vha targets in the PG resulted in larger than normal, ecdysone-deficient larvae that failed to develop into the pupal stage but could be rescued by ecdysone feeding. Moreover, these animals showed defective PTTH signaling with a concomitant decrease in the expression of ecdysone biosynthetic genes. We also demonstrated that the regulatory network between the conserved miR-8-3p/miR-200 family and V-ATPase was functional in human cells. Consequently, our data indicate that the coordinated regulation of V-ATPase subunits by miR-8-3p is involved in Drosophila metamorphosis by controlling the ecdysone biosynthesis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6449-6465
Number of pages17
JournalFASEB Journal
Volume34
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020 May 1

Keywords

  • Ago1
  • CLIP-seq
  • V-ATPase
  • ecdysone
  • metamorphosis
  • microRNA

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

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