1. Symbiont-mediated RNA interference in insects
- Author
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Whitten, Miranda M. A., Facey, Paul D., Del Sol, Ricardo, Fernández-Martínez, Lorena T., Evans, Meirwyn C., Mitchell, Jacob J., Bodger, Owen G., and Dyson, Paul J.
- Subjects
Chagas disease ,fungi ,Thysanoptera ,biocide ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,symbiotic bacteria ,RNA interference ,Rhodnius ,Gene Targeting ,Animals ,Rhodococcus ,insect ,Symbiosis ,Research Articles ,RNA, Double-Stranded - Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) methods for insects are often limited by problems with double-stranded (ds) RNA delivery, which restricts reverse genetics studies and the development of RNAi-based biocides. We therefore delegated to insect symbiotic bacteria the task of: (i) constitutive dsRNA synthesis and (ii) trauma-free delivery. RNaseIII-deficient, dsRNA-expressing bacterial strains were created from the symbionts of two very diverse pest species: a long-lived blood-sucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus, and a short-lived globally invasive polyphagous agricultural pest, western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). When ingested, the manipulated bacteria colonized the insects, successfully competed with the wild-type microflora, and sustainably mediated systemic knockdown phenotypes that were horizontally transmissible. This represents a significant advance in the ability to deliver RNAi, potentially to a large range of non-model insects.
- Published
- 2016