Cloning and RNAi-mediated three lethal genes that can be potentially used for Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) management

Authors: JIN, HUIHUI - Huazhong Agricultural University; ABOUZAID, MOSTAFA - Huazhong Agricultural University; LIN, YONGJUN - Chinese Academy Of Sciences; Hull, Joe; MA, WEIHUA - Huazhong Agricultural University

Submitted to: Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2021
Publication Date: 5/1/2021
Citation: Jin, H., Abouzaid, M., Lin, Y., Hull, J.J., Ma, W. 2021. Cloning and RNAi-mediated three lethal genes that can be potentially used for Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) management. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. 174. Article 104828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2021.104828.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2021.104828

Interpretive Summary: The Asiatic rice borer (Chilo suppressalis) is a significant moth pest of rice that is largely controlled through the application of chemical pesticides. As an initial step towards developing and applying RNAi interference technologies for rice borer control, the current study sought to examine targeted knockdown effects of three unrelated genes on larval mortality as well as larval growth and development. The target genes included the largest component of the electron transport chain (NADH dehydrogenase), a component of the pentose phosphate pathway (glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), which is a critical cellular pathway that contributes building blocks for other biosynthetic mechanisms, and a component of the sex determination pathway (male specific lethal 3). Feeding dsRNAs corresponding to all three genes resulted in increased mortality compared to control larvae and reduced overall larval body size in the surviving larvae. Feeding combinations of the dsRNAs resulted in similar mortality and body size effects. Taken together, the results suggest a multi-target layered/stacked dsRNA approach may be a viable strategy for control of the rice borer.

Technical Abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) has gained traction in recent years as a viable pest control strategy. Here, RNAi assays were performed to screen the potential functionality of genes in Chilo suppressalis, a serious pest of rice, and to determine their potential as insecticide targets. Potential homologs of NADH dehydrogenase (ND), glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and male specific lethal 3 (MSL3) were cloned from C. suppressalis, and their spatiotemporal gene expression evaluated. The expression of all three genes was higher in the pupal and adult stages than the larval stages and largely higher in the larval head compared to other tissues. Newly hatched larvae fed bacteria generated double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) corresponding to the three target genes exhibited high mortalities and suppressed growth. This study provides insights into the function of ND, GPDH and MSL3 during C. suppressalis larval development and suggest that all may be candidate gene targets for C. suppressalis pest management.