MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding genes that participate in post-transcription regulation by either degrading mRNA or blocking its translation. It is considered to be very important in regulating insect development and metamorphosis. Insects are the largest group of animals and are extremely valuable in biological and agriculture research. Insects are also important pests to human health and agriculture, and efforts are necessary protect both humans and plants from disease and damage. Despite their importance, insects lag behind mammals, nematodes, and plants in miRNA research. At present, only 279 insect miRNAs have been identified from Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori, and D. pseudoobscura in miRBase, and most of these miRNAs were computationally predicted without experimental validation. Functional analysis of insect miRNAs has only been conducted in D. melanogaster.

• Yong Zhang(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Xue Zhou(Nanjing Agricultural University, P.R. China)
• Xie Ge(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Jiang-Hao Jiang(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Mu-Wang Li(Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, P.R. China)
• Shi-Hai Jia(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Xiao-Nan Yang(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Yun-Chao Kan(Nan Yang Normal University, P.R. China)
• Xue-Xia Miao(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Guo-Ping Zhao(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China)
• Fei Li(Nanjing Agricultural University, P.R. China) Correspondence
• Yong-Ping Huang(Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China) Correspondence