Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate various biological processes ranging from gene expression to animal behavior. Although protein-coding genes, microRNAs, and neuropeptides play important roles in the regulation of phenotypic plasticity in migratory locust, empirical studies on the function of lncRNAs in this process remain limited. Here, we applied high-throughput RNA-seq to compare the expression patterns of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the time course of locust phase change. We found that lncRNAs responded more rapidly at the early stages of phase transition. Functional annotations demonstrated that early changed lncRNAs employed different pathways in isolation and crowding phases to cope with changes in the population density. Two overlapping hub lncRNA loci in the crowding and isolation networks were screened for functional verification. One of them, LNC1010057, was validated as a potential regulator of locust phase change. This work offers insights into the molecular mechanism underlying locust phase change and expands the scope of lncRNA functions in animal behavior.
长链非编码RNA（lncRNA）调控了从基因表达到动物行为等众多的生物学过程，但人们对于昆虫体内lncRNA的表达和功能的了解还很少。蝗虫是世界性的农业害虫，尽管很多研究表明蛋白编码基因，小RNA和神经肽等均在飞蝗群散两型转变的过程中发挥重要作用，但是关于型变过程中lncRNA功能的实验性研究还很少。在本研究中，我们利用高通量RNA测序的方法比较了飞蝗型变过程中lncRNA和mRNA的表达模式。我们发现lncRNA在型变的早期反应更快，并且在群居化和散居化过程中参与不同通路的调节。通过lncRNA–mRNA共表达网络，我们鉴定到多个核心的lncRNA，并筛选了其中两个lncRNA进行功能实验的验证。体内干扰实验和行为实验表明，其中一个lncRNA LNC1010057可能调控了飞蝗的群散两型转变过程，此结果说明lncRNA在飞蝗的型变过程中可能发挥十分重要的作用。该工作为深入探究飞蝗型变的分子机制提供了新的角度并拓展了人们对lncRNA在调节动物行为中所起作用的认识。





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