Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate various biological processes ranging from gene expression to animal behavior. Although protein-coding genes, microRNAs, and neuropeptides play important roles in the regulation of phenotypic plasticity in migratory locust, empirical studies on the function of lncRNAs in this process remain limited. Here, we applied high-throughput RNA-seq to compare the expression patterns of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the time course of locust phase change. We found that lncRNAs responded more rapidly at the early stages of phase transition. Functional annotations demonstrated that early changed lncRNAs employed different pathways in isolation and crowding phases to cope with changes in the population density. Two overlapping hub lncRNA loci in the crowding and isolation networks were screened for functional verification. One of them, LNC1010057, was validated as a potential regulator of locust phase change. This work offers insights into the molecular mechanism underlying locust phase change and expands the scope of lncRNA functions in animal behavior.

长链非编码 RNA (lncRNA) 调节从基因表达到动物行为的各种生物过程。尽管蛋白质编码基因、microRNAs和神经肽在调节蝗虫的表型可塑性中发挥着重要作用，但关于lncRNAs在这一过程中功能的实证研究仍然有限。在这里，我们应用高通量 RNA-seq 来比较 lncRNA 和 mRNA 在蝗虫相变时间过程中的表达模式。我们发现 lncRNA 在相变的早期反应更快。功能注释表明，早期变化的 lncRNA 在隔离和拥挤阶段采用不同的途径来应对人口密度的变化。两个重叠的枢纽 lncRNA筛选拥挤和隔离网络中的基因座以进行功能验证。其中之一，LNC1010057，被验证为蝗虫相变的潜在调节剂。这项工作提供了对蝗虫相变的分子机制的深入了解，并扩大了 lncRNA 在动物行为中的功能范围。