School of Plant Protection, Department of Pesticide Science, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Université Côte d'Azur, INRAE, UMR ISA, Nice, France.
Insect Mol Biol. 2023 Dec;32(6):738-747. doi: 10.1111/imb.12867. Epub 2023 Aug 30.
Cucurbits are important economic plants that are attacked by numerous pests, among which the melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae is extremely problematic. New sustainable pest control strategies are necessary to replace chemical insecticides that are harmful to the environment, human health and nontarget species. The RNA interference (RNAi) technology is one of the most promising tools due to high efficiency and species specificity. We developed an RNAi strategy targeting the ecdysone receptor (ECR) of Z. cucurbitae, which plays an important role in moulting and reproduction. We identified, described and isolated the ECR gene of Z. cucurbitae and measured its expression pattern across developmental stages and tissues. ZcECR knockdown via dsZcECR ingestion caused a significant larval mortality and abnormal phenotypes in pupae and adults. About 68% of larvae fed with a dsZcECR-treated diet failed to enter the pupal stage and died. In addition, ZcECR knockdown dramatically reduced pupal weight (by 3.24 mg on average) and fecundity (by about 23%). RNAi targeting the ECR gene is therefore a promising method to control Z. cucurbitae, paving the way for the development of novel sustainable and highly specific control strategies.
葫芦科植物是重要的经济作物，受到许多害虫的侵害，其中瓜实蝇 Zeugodacus cucurbitae 是极其成问题的一种。需要新的可持续害虫防治策略来替代对环境、人类健康和非目标物种有害的化学杀虫剂。RNA 干扰 (RNAi) 技术是最有前途的工具之一，因为它具有高效性和物种特异性。我们开发了一种针对 Z. cucurbitae 蜕皮激素受体 (ECR) 的 RNAi 策略，该受体在蜕皮和繁殖中起着重要作用。我们鉴定、描述和分离了 Z. cucurbitae 的 ECR 基因，并测量了其在发育阶段和组织中的表达模式。通过摄入 dsZcECR 来降低 ZcECR 的表达水平会导致幼虫死亡率显著增加，并在蛹和成虫中出现异常表型。大约 68%的幼虫在喂食 dsZcECR 处理的饮食后无法进入蛹期并死亡。此外，ZcECR 的敲低还显著降低了蛹重（平均减少 3.24 毫克）和繁殖力（减少约 23%）。因此，针对 ECR 基因的 RNAi 是控制 Z. cucurbitae 的一种很有前途的方法，为开发新型可持续和高度特异的控制策略铺平了道路。
