Small RNAs in Aedes albopictus during diapause induction and diapause maintenance

Temperate insects can survive through winter by undergoing photoperiodic diapause, a pre-programmed developmental arrest in response to token changes in day length. The invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), is an emerging model system to investigate the molecular basis of photoperiodic diapause. Under diapause-inducing conditions, adult females perceive the short-day signal and produce diapause offspring.In this study, we sequenced small RNAs in diapause-destined and non-diapause-destined mature oocytes from virgin Ae. albopictus females. Additionally, we sequenced small RNAs from 11 day old pharate larvae in either diapause or non-diapause quiescence.