Journal of Economic Entomology (2016) 109, 987-992

Cheng Chang, Chun-Yen Huang, Shu-Mei Dai, Remzi Atlihan and Hsin Chi (2016)
Genetically engineered ricin suppresses Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) based on demographic analysis of group-reared life table
Journal of Economic Entomology 109 (3), 987-992
Abstract: The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), reduces the quantity and quality of many host fruits through the process of oviposition and larval feeding, and this insect has been considered a major insect pest in several Asian countries for decades. Using an earlier-developed, female-specific system that combines the toxicity of the ricin A chain (RTA) and the alternative RNA splicing property of doublesex (Bddsx), we show that transgenic male flies harboring the RTA-Bddsx transgene unevenly repress the pest population through inheritable effects. In age-stage, two-sex life-table analyses, high larval mortality and a delay in pupation were observed after introducing the transgene. The high male to female ratio in DsRed⁺ flies demonstrates the lethal effect of ricin on females. The fitness of both the DsRed⁺- and DsRed^--transformed females was reduced as shown in the decrease of the net reproductive rate (R₀), intrinsic rate (r), and finite rate (λ) values compared with the wild-type populations. The integrity of the RTA-Bddsx transgene remained in more than 80% of DsRed⁺ males after ten generations, supporting the stable inheritance of the transgene. All of the data from this study support the proposed RTA-Bddsx SIT approach, which provides a species-specific and environmentally friendly method of suppressing, rather than eradiating, B. dorsalis.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Hsin Chi, Remzi Atlihan

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bactrocera dorsalis