Pest Management Science (2022) 78, 3871-3879

Mujuan Guo, Satyabrata Nanda, Shimin Chen, Jing Lü, Chunxiao Yang, Zhuoqi Liu, Wei Guo, Baoli Qiu, Youjun Zhang, Xuguo Zhou and Huipeng Pan (2022)
Oral RNAi toxicity assay suggests clathrin heavy chain as a promising molecular target for controlling the 28-spotted potato ladybird, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata
Pest Management Science 78 (9), 3871-3879
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
Use of RNA interference (RNAi) technology in effective pest management has been explored for decades. Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata is a major solanaceous crop pest in Asia. In this study, the effects of the RNAi-mediated silencing of clathrin heavy chain in H. vigintioctopunctata were investigated.
RESULTS
Feeding either the in vitro-synthesized or the bacterially expressed double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) significantly impaired the normal physiology of H. vigintioctopunctata instars and adults. However, the bacterially expressed dsHvChc caused higher mortality than the in vitro-synthesized ones in the larvae and adults. Moreover, on evaluating the potential risk of dsHvChc on Propylea japonica, significant transcriptional effects of dsHvChc1 were observed, while the organismal level effects were not significant. On the contrary, dsHvChc2 did not affect P. japonica at either level. A similar test revealed significant transcriptional effects of dsPjChc1 on H. vigintioctopunctata, while staying ineffective at the organismal levels. Conversely, dsPjChc2 did not affect H. vigintioctopunctata at either level. Importantly, no effect of dsPjChc1 exposure on H. vigintioctopunctata suggested that other factors besides the 21-nucleotide (nt) matches between sequences were responsible. Finally, ingestion of dsHvmChc1 derived from H. vigintioctomaculata, containing 265-nt matches with dsHvChc1, caused 100% mortality in H. vigintioctopunctata.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that (i) species with numerous 21-nt matches in homologous genes are more likely to be susceptible to dsRNA; (ii) dsRNA can be safely designed to avoid negative effects on non-target organisms at both transcriptional and organismal levels; (iii) HvChc can be used as an efficient RNAi target gene to effectively manage H. vigintioctopunctata.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Bao-Li Qiu, Xu-Guo Zhou

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.
	Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)