Apone Fabio, Ruggiero Alessandra, Tortora Assunta, Tito Annalisa, Grimaldi Maria Rosaria, Arciello Stefania, Andrenacci Davide, Di Lelio Ilaria, Colucci Gabriella
Arterra BioSci., via Brin 69, 80142 Napoli, Italy
Arterra BioSci., via Brin 69, 80142 Napoli, Italy Current address: Center for Cardiovascular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center, 6770 Bertner Street, Houston, TX 77030.
J Insect Sci. 2014;14:87. doi: 10.1093/jis/14.1.87.
The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is one of the most devastating pests of crops worldwide. Several types of treatments have been used against this pest, but many of them failed because of the rapid development of genetic resistance in the different insect populations. G protein coupled receptors have vital functions in most organisms, including insects; thus, they are appealing targets for species-specific pest control strategies. Among the insect G protein coupled receptors, the diuretic hormone receptors have several key roles in development and metabolism, but their importance in vivo and their potential role as targets of novel pest control strategies are largely unexplored. With the goal of using DHR genes as targets to control S. littoralis, we cloned a corticotropin-releasing factor-like binding receptor in this species and expressed the corresponding dsRNA in tobacco plants to knock down the receptor activity in vivo through RNA interference. We also expressed the receptor in mammalian cells to study its signaling pathways. The results indicate that this diuretic hormone receptor gene has vital roles in S. littoralis and represents an excellent molecular target to protect agriculturally-important plants from this pest.
棉铃虫，即埃及棉叶夜蛾（鳞翅目：夜蛾科），是全球最具毁灭性的作物害虫之一。人们已采用多种类型的处理方法来防治这种害虫，但由于不同昆虫种群中抗药性的迅速发展，其中许多方法都失败了。G蛋白偶联受体在包括昆虫在内的大多数生物体中都具有重要功能；因此，它们是物种特异性害虫控制策略的有吸引力的目标。在昆虫G蛋白偶联受体中，利尿激素受体在发育和代谢中具有几个关键作用，但其在体内的重要性以及作为新型害虫控制策略靶点的潜在作用在很大程度上尚未得到探索。为了将利尿激素受体基因用作控制棉铃虫的靶点，我们在该物种中克隆了一种促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子样结合受体，并在烟草植物中表达了相应的dsRNA，以通过RNA干扰在体内敲低该受体的活性。我们还在哺乳动物细胞中表达了该受体以研究其信号通路。结果表明，这种利尿激素受体基因在棉铃虫中具有重要作用，是保护重要农作物免受这种害虫侵害的一个极佳分子靶点。
