RNA Interference-Screening of Potentially Lethal Gene
Targets in the White-Backed Planthopper Sogatella furcifera via a Spray-Induced and Nanocarrier-Delivered Gene Silencing System
posted on 2024-01-03, 09:05authored byYun-Feng Ma, Ting-Ting Liu, Ya-Qin Zhao, Juan Luo, Hong-Yan Feng, Yang-Yuntao Zhou, Lang-Lang Gong, Meng-Qi Zhang, Yin-yin He, J. Joe Hull, Youssef Dewer, Ming He, Peng He
RNA
interference (RNAi) is a widespread post-transcriptional silencing
mechanism that targets homologous mRNA sequences for specific degradation.
An RNAi-based pest management strategy is target-specific and considered
a sustainable biopesticide. However, the specific genes targeted and
the efficiency of the delivery methods can vary widely across species.
In this study, a spray-induced and nanocarrier-delivered gene silencing
(SI-NDGS) system that incorporated gene-specific dsRNAs targeting
conserved genes was used to evaluate phenotypic effects in white-backed
planthopper (WBPH). At 2 days postspraying, transcript levels for
all target genes were significantly reduced and knockdown of two gene
orthologs, hsc70-3 and PP-α, resulted in an elevated mortality (>60%) and impaired ecdysis.
These
results highlight the utility of the SI-NDGS system for identifying
genes involved in WBPH growth and development that could be potentially
exploitable as high mortality target genes to develop an alternative
method for WBPH control.