Identification and characterization of miRNAs expressed in the corpora allata of Aedes aegypti

We used our deep sequence data and bioinformatics to analyzed the miRNA repertoires expressed in the CA of pupae, sugar-fed and blood-fed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In total, 156 mature miRNAs were detected in the CA, with 84 displaying significant differences in expression among the three CA developmental stages. Notably, the changes in the miRNA repertoire in the CA in the pupa-adult transition have completely different characteristics compared with the changes from sugar-fed to blood-fed mosquitoes. Corpora allata-corpora cardiaca complexes (CA) were dissected from three different developmental stages of Aedes aegypti females (pupae, sugar-fed and blood-fed). Total RNA was extracted from 50 CAs from each developmental stage in triplicate using Norgen Biotek’s total RNA purification kit. The small RNA libraries were generated using the Illumina Truseq™ Small RNA Preparation kit according to Illumina’s TruSeq™ Small RNA Sample Preparation Guide at LC Sciences facility (Texas, USA). The purified cDNA library was used for cluster generation on Illumina’s Cluster Station and then sequenced on Illumina GAIIx following vendor’s instruction for running the instrument. Raw sequencing reads (40 nts) were obtained using Illumina’s Sequencing Control Studio software.