Department of Polymer Science and Engineering , The University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , Mississippi 39406 , United States.
Department of Biological Sciences , The University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , Mississippi 39406 , United States.
Biomacromolecules. 2018 Apr 9;19(4):1111-1117. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b01717. Epub 2018 Mar 4.
RNAi-based technologies are ideal for pest control as they can provide species specificity and spare nontarget organisms. However, in some pests biological barriers prevent use of RNAi, and therefore broad application. In this study we tested the ability of a synthetic cationic polymer, poly-[ N-(3-guanidinopropyl)methacrylamide] (pGPMA), that mimics arginine-rich cell penetrating peptides to trigger RNAi in an insensitive animal- Spodoptera frugiperda. Polymer-dsRNA interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) were found to be efficiently taken up by cells, and to drive highly efficient gene knockdown. These IPECs could also trigger target gene knockdown and moderate larval mortality when fed to S. frugiperda larvae. This effect was sequence specific, which is consistent with the low toxicity we found to be associated with this polymer. A method for oral delivery of dsRNA is critical to development of RNAi-based insecticides. Thus, this technology has the potential to make RNAi-based pest control useful for targeting numerous species and facilitate use of RNAi in pest management practices.
基于 RNAi 的技术是理想的害虫防治方法，因为它们可以提供物种特异性，同时保护非目标生物。然而，在一些害虫中，生物屏障阻止了 RNAi 的使用，从而限制了其广泛应用。在这项研究中，我们测试了一种合成的阳离子聚合物，聚-[N-(3-胍丙基)甲基丙烯酰胺]（pGPMA），它模拟富含精氨酸的细胞穿透肽，以触发不敏感动物-玉米螟中的 RNAi。聚合物-dsRNA 聚电解质复合物（IPECs）被发现能够被细胞有效摄取，并驱动高效的基因敲低。当喂食给 S. frugiperda 幼虫时，这些 IPECs 还可以触发靶基因敲低和适度的幼虫死亡率。这种效果是序列特异性的，这与我们发现与该聚合物相关的低毒性一致。口服递送 dsRNA 的方法对于开发基于 RNAi 的杀虫剂至关重要。因此，这项技术有可能使基于 RNAi 的害虫防治方法对许多物种有效，并促进 RNAi 在害虫管理实践中的应用。
