MicroRNAs in plant insect interaction and insect pest control

Abstract Insects are a threat to plants and cause havoc in considerable ways. Interestingly, a group of small non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) are found to be associated with the regulatory processes of plants both in pre and post-infestation scenarios either elevating or demoting expression levels of different genes involved in plant-insect interaction. Studies show roles of a number of miRNAs during plant-insect interaction targeting a range of genes from transcription factors (TFs) to genes involved in plant growth and development, from transmembrane receptors to molecules involved in various signalling pathways. The role of miRNAs in regulating phytohormone signalling show the complex interaction of miRNA/mRNA modules in plant-insect herbivory. Biotechnological approaches involving RNAi strategy prove to be successful in eradicating pests. In this review, we have discussed the progress made so far in understanding the role of miRNAs in plant insect interactions and artificial miRNA (amiRNA) mediated RNAi strategies used to combat the menace of insect pests in plants.