The miR‐184‐3p promotes rice black‐streaked dwarf virus infection by suppressing Ken in Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén)

Abstract BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in various biological processes by influencing the translation of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) through post‐transcriptional regulation. The miR‐184‐3p has been identified as an abundant conserved miRNA in insects. However, less is known about its functions in insect–plant virus interactions. RESULTS The function of miR‐184‐3p in regulation of plant viral infection in insects was investigated using a rice black‐streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) interaction system. We found that the expression of miR‐184‐3p increased in L. striatellus after RBSDV infection. Injection of miR‐184‐3p mimics increased RBSDV accumulation, while treatment with miR‐184‐3p antagomirs inhibits the viral accumulation in L. striatellus . Ken , a zinc finger protein, was identified as a target of miR‐184‐3p. Knockdown of Ken increased the virus accumulation and promoted RBSDV transmission by L. striatellus . CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that RBSDV infection induces the expression of miR‐184‐3p in its insect vector L. striatellus . The miR‐184‐3p targets Ken to promote RBSDV accumulation and transmission. These findings provide a new insight into the function of the miRNAs in regulating plant viral infection in its insect vector. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.