The role of miRNAs in pharmacological responses through gene regulation related to drug metabolism and the detoxification system has recently been determined for terrestrial species. However, studies on marine ectoparasites have scarcely been conducted to investigate the molecular mechanisms of pesticide resistance. Herein, we explored the sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi miRNome responses exposed to delousing drugs and the interplaying with coding/non-coding RNAs. Drug sensitivity in sea lice was tested by in vitro bioassays for the pesticides azamethiphos, deltamethrin, and cypermethrin. Ectoparasites strains with contrasting susceptibility to these compounds were used. Small-RNA sequencing was conducted, identifying 2776 novel annotated miRNAs, where 163 mature miRNAs were differentially expressed in response to the drug testing. Notably, putative binding sites for miRNAs were found in the ADME genes associated with the drugs’ absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Interactions between the miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were also found, suggesting putative molecular gene regulation mechanisms. This study reports putative miRNAs correlated to the coding/non-coding RNAs modulation, revealing novel pharmacological mechanisms associated with drug resistance in sea lice species.

最近已经确定了 miRNA 在通过与药物代谢和解毒系统相关的基因调控的药理反应中的作用。然而，关于海洋外寄生虫的研究很少用于研究农药抗性的分子机制。在这里，我们探索了海虱Caligus rogercresseyi暴露于驱虫药物的 miRNome 反应以及与编码/非编码 RNA 的相互作用。海虱的药物敏感性通过体外生物测定法对农药氮杂甲硫磷、溴氰菊酯和氯氰菊酯进行了测试。使用了对这些化合物具有对比敏感性的体外寄生虫菌株。进行了小 RNA 测序，鉴定了 2776 种新的带注释的 miRNA，其中 163 种成熟 miRNA 因药物测试而差异表达。值得注意的是，在与药物吸收、分布、代谢和排泄相关的 ADME 基因中发现了 miRNA 的假定结合位点。还发现了 miRNA 和长链非编码 RNA (lncRNA) 之间的相互作用，这表明了推定的分子基因调控机制。该研究报告了与编码/非编码 RNA 调节相关的假定 miRNA，