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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Biological Control of Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #393618

Research Project: Biologically-Based Products for Insect Pest Control and Emerging Needs in Agriculture

Location: Biological Control of Insects Research

Title: Efficacy and fate of RNAi molecules in the green pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Author
item ARORA, ARINDER - University Of Florida
item Kang, David

Submitted to: Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Here we investigate the feasibility of using plants modified to release RNAi for pest control of pea aphids. RNAi molecules are incredibly insect specific stretches of nucleic acids matched to individual species. By utilizing the natural mechanisms within the aphid, RNAI can be used to manipulate the gene expression of insect pest. In turn, this can be used to disrupt a wide variety of biological functions within the insect for use in pest control. Here, we address whether the plant expressed RNAi molecules have a measurable impact on pea aphids and whether these molecules can be measured in the waste of the aphid or in the environment.

Technical Abstract: Here, we provide evidence supporting the feasibility of using transgenic plants to deliver RNAi-based biopesticides against their aphid pests. Our findings suggest that, under the Cucumis melo, CmGAS1 promoter, the companion cells of transformed Arabidopsis thaliana plants express dsRNA but not siRNA at detectable levels. Further, oral application of either siRNA or dsRNA is equally effective in reducing the expression of transcripts of the integral membrane protein aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in A. pisum pea aphids. We did not find any dsRNA or siRNA remaining in the insects or honeydew 48 hours post-exposure, suggesting a low risk of contamination of these molecules beyond the target phloem-piercing insect pests.