Sugahara Ryohei, Tanaka Seiji, Jouraku Akiya, Shiotsuki Takahiro
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
Gene. 2017 Mar 20;605:5-11. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.12.028. Epub 2016 Dec 26.
The RNA interference (RNAi) technology has been widely used in basic and applied research. It is known that RNAi works in some species but not in others, although the cause for this difference remains unclear. Here, we present inter- and intra-populational variations in RNAi sensitivity in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria, and provide information on the genetic background of such variations. In the four strains analyzed, originating from different Japanese localities, most individuals from two of the strains were sensitive to injections of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) against the corazonin (CRZ) and ecdysone receptor genes, whereas those from the other two strains were resistant. Selection for individuals sensitive to dsCRZ produced a dramatic increase in the RNAi sensitivity in the following generations, although phenotypes also varied in the selected line, suggesting that several genes might control RNAi sensitivity. Reciprocal crosses between a sensitive and a resistant strain suggested that the resistant phenotype is dominant. The expression levels of nine RNAi-associated genes known for other organisms were not correlated with the variation in RNAi sensitivity observed in L. migratoria. Variations in RNAi sensitivity as the ones observed in this study should be considered when using RNAi in basic and applied research as well as in pest management.
RNA干扰（RNAi）技术已广泛应用于基础研究和应用研究。众所周知，RNAi在某些物种中起作用，而在其他物种中则不起作用，尽管造成这种差异的原因尚不清楚。在此，我们展示了飞蝗Locusta migratoria在种群间和种群内RNAi敏感性的差异，并提供了有关这种差异的遗传背景信息。在所分析的来自日本不同地区的四个品系中，两个品系的大多数个体对注射针对促心肽（CRZ）和蜕皮激素受体基因的双链RNA（dsRNA）敏感，而另外两个品系的个体则具有抗性。对dsCRZ敏感的个体进行选择，在随后的几代中RNAi敏感性显著增加，尽管所选品系的表型也有所不同，这表明可能有几个基因控制RNAi敏感性。敏感品系和抗性品系之间的正反交表明抗性表型是显性的。其他生物中已知的九个与RNAi相关基因的表达水平与在飞蝗中观察到的RNAi敏感性差异无关。在基础研究、应用研究以及害虫管理中使用RNAi时，应考虑本研究中观察到的RNAi敏感性差异。
