Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Plants: RNAi-Mediated Crop Protection
TL;DR: Recent progress in RNAi-mediated insect pest control is summarized, remaining challenges are highlighted, and the environmental and biosafety issues involved in the use of this technology in agriculture are discussed.
About: This article is published in Trends in Biotechnology.The article was published on 2017-09-01. It has received 224 citations till now.
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TL;DR: Novel non-transgenic delivery technologies, such as polymer or liposomic nanoparticles, peptide-based delivery vehicles and viral-like particles, are discussed, as these could overcome barriers and lead to effective RNAi-based pest control.
Abstract: Exploiting the RNA interference (RNAi) gene mechanism to silence essential genes in pest insects, leading to toxic effects, has surfaced as a promising new control strategy in the past decade. While the first commercial RNAi-based products are currently coming to market, the application against a wide range of insect species is still hindered by a number of challenges. In this review, we discuss the current status of these RNAi-based products and the different delivery strategies by which insects can be targeted by the RNAi-triggering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules. Furthermore, this review also addresses a number of physiological and cellular barriers, which can lead to decreased RNAi efficacy in insects. Finally, novel non-transgenic delivery technologies, such as polymer or liposomic nanoparticles, peptide-based delivery vehicles and viral-like particles, are also discussed, as these could overcome these barriers and lead to effective RNAi-based pest control.
128 citations
TL;DR: The damage and economic impacts by this pest locally and why this species has spread so rapidly among the countries are reviewed and building a cross-regional network to enhance the sustainable control of this pest is suggested.
Abstract: Since its initial detection in Turkey in 2009, the invasive destructive pest South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has started its new invasion journey to east and invaded most Asian countries. This pest currently causes extensive damage to tomato production and potentially threatens key production areas such as China. To provide an overview of current status of T. absoluta in Asia, we have briefly reviewed the damage and economic impacts by this pest locally and discussed why this species has spread so rapidly among the countries. Moreover, ongoing integrated pest management options are summarized in newly invaded areas with an emphasis of discussing the potential control failures by chemical insecticides. Future research efforts on developing promising management technologies are recommended. Finally, we suggest building a cross-regional network to enhance the sustainable control of this pest.
127 citations
TL;DR: Overall, the vast majority of studies demonstrates that the insecticidal proteins deployed today cause no unintended adverse effects to natural enemies, and when Bt crops replace synthetic chemical insecticides for target pest control, this creates an environment supportive of the conservation of natural enemies.
125 citations
TL;DR: The "pros" and "cons" of using RNAi technology mediated by dsRNA-expressing transgenic plants (host-induced gene silencing, HIGS) or direct application of chemically synthesized ds RNA to control plant-damaging insects are reviewed.
123 citations
TL;DR: The limitations of traditional dsRNA delivery systems are illustrated, the mechanism of nanoparticle‐mediated RNAi is revealed, the recent progress and successful applications of nanoparticles‐ mediated RNAi in pest management are summarized, and the prospects of nanop article‐based RNA pesticides are addressed.
Abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) targeting lethal genes in insects has great potential for sustainable crop protection. Compared with traditional double-stranded (ds)RNA delivery systems, nanoparticles such as chitosan, liposomes, and cationic dendrimers offer advantages in delivering dsRNA/small interfering (si)RNA to improve RNAi efficiency, thus promoting the development and practice of RNAi-based pest management strategies. Here, we illustrate the limitations of traditional dsRNA delivery systems, reveal the mechanism of nanoparticle-mediated RNAi, summarize the recent progress and successful applications of nanoparticle-mediated RNAi in pest management, and finally address the prospects of nanoparticle-based RNA pesticides.
92 citations
References
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TL;DR: To their surprise, it was found that double-stranded RNA was substantially more effective at producing interference than was either strand individually, arguing against stochiometric interference with endogenous mRNA and suggesting that there could be a catalytic or amplification component in the interference process.
Abstract: Experimental introduction of RNA into cells can be used in certain biological systems to interfere with the function of an endogenous gene Such effects have been proposed to result from a simple antisense mechanism that depends on hybridization between the injected RNA and endogenous messenger RNA transcripts RNA interference has been used in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to manipulate gene expression Here we investigate the requirements for structure and delivery of the interfering RNA To our surprise, we found that double-stranded RNA was substantially more effective at producing interference than was either strand individually After injection into adult animals, purified single strands had at most a modest effect, whereas double-stranded mixtures caused potent and specific interference The effects of this interference were evident in both the injected animals and their progeny Only a few molecules of injected double-stranded RNA were required per affected cell, arguing against stochiometric interference with endogenous mRNA and suggesting that there could be a catalytic or amplification component in the interference process
15,374 citations
"Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Pl..." refers background in this paper
...RNAi-based techniques have become an invaluable tool in basic research, especially in functional genomics, and have also stimulated new research into potential commercial applications [24,52,53]....
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TL;DR: This work has revealed unexpected diversity in their biogenesis pathways and the regulatory mechanisms that they access, which has direct implications for fundamental biology as well as disease etiology and treatment.
4,490 citations
"Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Pl..." refers background in this paper
...RNAi-based techniques have become an invaluable tool in basic research, especially in functional genomics, and have also stimulated new research into potential commercial applications [24,52,53]....
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TL;DR: It is demonstrated that ingestion of double-stranded (ds)RNAs supplied in an artificial diet triggers RNA interference in several coleopteran species, most notably the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifiera LeConte, suggesting that the RNAi pathway can be exploited to control insect pests via in planta expression of a dsRNA.
Abstract: Commercial biotechnology solutions for controlling lepidopteran and coleopteran insect pests on crops depend on the expression of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins1,2, most of which permeabilize the membranes of gut epithelial cells of susceptible insects3 However, insect control strategies involving a different mode of action would be valuable for managing the emergence of insect resistance Toward this end, we demonstrate that ingestion of double-stranded (ds)RNAs supplied in an artificial diet triggers RNA interference in several coleopteran species, most notably the western corn rootworm (WCR) Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte This may result in larval stunting and mortality Transgenic corn plants engineered to express WCR dsRNAs show a significant reduction in WCR feeding damage in a growth chamber assay, suggesting that the RNAi pathway can be exploited to control insect pests via in planta expression of a dsRNA
1,545 citations
"Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Pl..." refers background in this paper
...by also silencing their gene X homolog? Baum and coauthors found that dsRNA directed against one western corn rootworm (WCR) gene cannot efficiently silence the expression of the orthologous Colorado potato beetle (CPB) gene even though the two genes share 80% sequence identity [7]....
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...This insect is susceptible to dsRNA administered in artificial diet, and this enabled the screening of a large number of dsRNAs for their effectiveness in feeding inhibition or mortality [7]....
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TL;DR: A cytochrome P450 gene (CYP6AE14) is identified from cotton bollworm, which permits this herbivore to tolerate otherwise inhibitory concentrations of the cotton metabolite, gossypol, and its expression correlates with larval growth when gOSSypol is included in the diet.
Abstract: We identify a cytochrome P450 gene (CYP6AE14) from cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), which permits this herbivore to tolerate otherwise inhibitory concentrations of the cotton metabolite, gossypol. CYP6AE14 is highly expressed in the midgut and its expression correlates with larval growth when gossypol is included in the diet. When larvae are fed plant material expressing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific to CYP6AE14, levels of this transcript in the midgut decrease and larval growth is retarded. Both effects are more dramatic in the presence of gossypol. As a glutathione-S-transferase gene (GST1) is silenced in GST1 dsRNA-expressing plants, feeding insects plant material expressing dsRNA may be a general strategy to trigger RNA interference and could find applications in entomological research and field control of insect pests.
1,150 citations
"Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Pl..." refers background in this paper
...Under the assumption that the CYP6AE14 enzyme detoxifies gossypol, cotton was transformed with a construct targeting 469 nucleotides (nt) of the CYP6AE14 transcript, and bollworm larvae consuming the transgenic cotton leaves had suppressed growth relative to those eating non-transgenic leaves [9]....
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...Additional experiments showed that dsRNA directed against CYP6AE14 only suppresses growth when gossypol is present in the diet, pointing to a specific interaction [9]....
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...When dsRNA against CYP6AE14 was expressed in an Arabidopsis mutant with three of the four Dicer-like genes (Box 1) knocked out, this triple mutant accumulated more dsRNA which was more potent in silencing the insect enzyme [9]....
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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences1, University of Exeter2, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation3, University of Bath4, George Washington University5, Ghent University6, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics7, University of Copenhagen8, Kansas State University9, University of Montpellier10, Max Planck Society11, University of Warsaw12, University of Georgia13, National Autonomous University of Mexico14, Australian National University15, University of Valencia16, Wageningen University and Research Centre17, University of Saskatchewan18, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada19, Stockholm University20, Eötvös Loránd University21, University of Tokyo22, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology23, Plant & Food Research24, Oregon State University25, Agricultural Research Service26, Leiden University27, University of Manitoba28
TL;DR: Despite a large variation in the data, trends that are found are that RNAi is particularly successful in the family Saturniidae and in genes involved in immunity and that gene expression in epidermal tissues seems to be most difficult to silence.
698 citations
"Next-Generation Insect-Resistant Pl..." refers background in this paper
...In addition, an effective RNAi target in one species may not necessarily be an equally suitable target mRNA in another species [15]....
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...Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) seem to be especially problematic, as discussed in a comprehensive comparison of experimental successes and failures [15]....
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