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Investigation of potential non-target effects to a ladybeetle Propylea japonica in the scenario of RNAi-based pea aphid control.
- Source :
- Entomologia Generalis; 2023, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p79-88, 10p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Biopesticides based on RNA interference (RNAi) act in a sequence-dependent manner. Homology between target genes in insect pests and orthologs in non-target beneficial insects should therefore be investigated during the design of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) constructs and by experimental testing to evaluate off-target effects. Here we investigated potential off-target effects against the ladybeetle Propylea japonica (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), an important biological control agent, in the context of RNAi-based aphid control. First, we sequenced the full-length P. japonica transcriptome and predicted potential off-target sites at the whole-transcriptome level in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) as queries. We found off-target sites in almost every P. japonica genes. Second, we found that first-instar P. japonica larvae were more sensitive to dsRNA exposure than other developmental stages by comparing the silencing efficiency of three indicator genes (IAP, V-ATP and CHMP-4b). The expression of core siRNA pathway genes after dsRNA treatment confirmed that the response to dsRNA was more robust in first-instar larvae than adults. Finally, we used the A. pisum alpha-actinin gene as a case study to design dsRNA fragments with different degrees of efficacy against P. japonica, confirming that the safety of RNAi approaches can be enhanced by rational dsRNA design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01718177
- Volume :
- 43
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Entomologia Generalis
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 163560122
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1127/entomologia/2022/1748