Molecular mechanisms underlying wing evolution and development have been a point of scientific inquiry for decades. Phloem-feeding aphids are one of the most devastating global insect pests, where dispersal of winged morphs lead to annual movements, migrations, and range expansions. Aphids show a polyphenic wing dimorphism trait, and offer a model to study the role of environment in determining morphological plasticity of a single genotype. Despite recent progresses in the genetic understanding of wing polyphenism, the influence of environmental cues remains unclear. To investigate the involvement of miRNAs in wing development, we sequenced small RNA libraries of the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.) across six different developmental stages. As a result, we identified 113 conserved and 193 S. avenae-specific miRNAs. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses of putative target mRNAs for the six differentially expressed miRNAs are enriched for wing development processes. Dietary uptake of miR-263a, miR-316, and miR-184a agomirs and antagomirs led to significantly higher mortality (>70%) and a lower proportion of winged morphs (<5%). On the other hand, wing malformation was observed in miR-2 and miR-306 agomirs and miR-2 and miR-14 antagomirs, respectively, suggesting their involvement in S. avenae wing morphogenesis. These combined results not only shed light on the regulatory role of miRNAs in wing dimorphism, but also provide potential novel targets for the long-term sustainable management of S. avenae, a devastating global grain pest.

几十年来，机翼进化和发育的分子机制一直是科学探究的重点。以韧皮部为食的蚜虫是全球最具破坏性的害虫之一，有翼形态的传播导致每年的运动、迁徙和范围扩大。蚜虫表现出多态翼二态性特征，并提供了一个模型来研究环境在确定单一基因型的形态可塑性中的作用。尽管最近在对翅膀多态性的遗传理解方面取得了进展，但环境线索的影响仍不清楚。为了研究 miRNA在翅膀发育中的作用，我们对英国谷物蚜虫Sitobion avenae的小 RNA 文库进行了测序。(F.) 跨越六个不同的发展阶段。结果，我们鉴定了 113 个保守的和 193 个S. avenae特异性 miRNA。对六种差异表达 miRNA 的推定靶 mRNA 的基因本体论和 KEGG 通路分析丰富了机翼发育过程。饮食摄入miR-263a、miR-316和miR-184a agomirs 和 antagomirs 导致死亡率显着增加 (>70%) 和有翼变形的比例较低 (<5%) 。另一方面，分别在miR-2和miR-306 agomirs 以及miR-2和miR-14 antagomirs 中观察到翼畸形，表明它们参与了S. avenae翼形态发生。这些综合结果不仅揭示了 miRNA 在翅膀二态性中的调节作用，而且为S. avenae的长期可持续管理提供了潜在的新目标，这是一种破坏性的全球粮食害虫。