Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Grain Circulation and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People's Republic of China.
College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, People's Republic of China.
J Agric Food Chem. 2021 Jun 9;69(22):6166-6171. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c00853. Epub 2021 May 26.
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), the unique trigger of RNA interference, could be used as potential pesticides for the management of storage insects. High species specificity greatly improves the biosafety of dsRNAs. However, there are usually more than one insect species in real circumstances. In this study, we present a new strategy that broadens the control spectrum of a formulation using single dsRNA fragments. First, effective target genes were selected for each insect pest, here including and . Then, a template was prepared by conjugating various fragments from each of the selected genes. With this template, a piece of chimeric dsRNA was synthesized, and, thus, regional complementary specificity for genes from different insects was harnessed. Finally, injection treatments with this chimeric dsRNA demonstrated that each gene was selectively silenced, and the insects of both species were effectively killed by continuously feeding the chimeric dsRNA. Meanwhile, the results also demonstrated that the toxicity of chimeric dsRNA for non-target organisms, including and , could be low. This is the first description of a single dsRNA fragment accurately targeting several pest species, and the method provides promise of novel tailor-made biopesticides in the future management of storage insects.
双链 RNA (dsRNA) 是 RNA 干扰的独特触发物，可用作储存昆虫管理的潜在杀虫剂。高物种特异性极大地提高了 dsRNA 的生物安全性。然而，在实际情况下通常有不止一种昆虫。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种新策略，该策略使用单 dsRNA 片段拓宽制剂的控制范围。首先，为每种害虫选择有效的靶基因，这里包括 和 。然后，通过连接从每个选定基因的各种片段来制备模板。利用该模板，合成了一段嵌合 dsRNA，从而利用不同昆虫基因的区域互补特异性。最后，通过注射这种嵌合 dsRNA 进行处理，证明每个基因都被选择性地沉默，并且通过持续喂食嵌合 dsRNA，两种昆虫都被有效地杀死。同时，结果还表明，嵌合 dsRNA 对非靶标生物，包括 和 的毒性可能较低。这是首次描述单 dsRNA 片段准确靶向几种害虫的情况，该方法为未来储存昆虫的管理提供了定制生物农药的新前景。
