Identification of cucumber mosaic virus Y-satellite-derived small RNAs in Myzus persicae

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionary conserved mechanism mediated by small RNA. Small RNAs induce sequence-specific degradation of target gene mRNA, regulating the gene expression. When peach aphids were fed on tobacco plants infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Y-satellite RNA (CMV+Y-sat) or transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing double-stranded Y-satellite RNA, several visible physiological changes were observed in the aphids feeding [CMV+Y-sat]-infected plants or Y-satellite transgenic plants. The goal of this project is to identify Y-satellite RNA-derived small RNAs which induce RNAi in aphids, and identify the genes regulated by Y-satellite-induced RNAi. We performed small RNA sequencing analysis using the RNA extract from the aphids feeding wild-type/Y-satellite transgenic N. benthamiana plants, and that from the aphids feeding CMV/[CMV+Ysat]-infected tobacco plants, and then tried to identify Y-satellite-derived small RNAs and their target genes in M. persicae.