Global analysis of MicroRNA species in the gall midge Mayetiola destructor

Since its discovery, research on the function and biological implication of microRNA (miRNA) has been explored in various biological fields.  The reason that miRNA attracts such a wide attention of biologists from different fields is that miRNA is involved in nearly all biological processes through regulating the expression of protein-encoding genes.  Host plant resistance and plant – insect interactions are important research areas for biologists in Agriculture.  Knowledge on the mechanisms of host plant resistance to parasite pests could be translated into new measures for pest control and therefore increase food production.  A better understanding of plant – insect interactions can also enrich our knowledge on fundamental biology on interspecies interaction, communication, adaptation, and co-evolution. The gall midge Mayetiola destructor, the so called Hessian fly, is one of the most destructive pest of wheat, and causes serious damage almost every year in major wheat production regions all over the world. We hypothesize that miRNA species play a critical role in wheat – Hessian fly interaction and therefore affect wheat resistance to the Hessian fly pests.  Even though there are tremendous advances in understanding the functions of miRNA species in various biological fields, research on the role of miRNA in plant – insect interactions is just beginning and very little is known about the specific roles of miRNA species in host plant resistance.  This research is to use Hessian fly as a model to explore the molecular functions of miRNA species in host plant resistance and plant – pest interactions.