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RNAi as Potential Tools to Solve Pest Problem
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RNAi as Potential Tools to Solve Pest Problem

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 March 2021) | Viewed by 5741

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Michel Ravelonandro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
INRAE, Universite de Bordeaux, Unite Mixte Rech 1332, Villenave D Ornon, CS, France
Interests: plants; pests; RNAi; gene regulation; bioinformatic challenging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

In order to comply with growing demand, agriculture is likely to become dependent on effective and safe technology to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. This option is consistent with the gene regulation approach. As a eukaryotic model, plants function with transcription mechanisms for which RNA interference is a key factor in controlling organ development via synthesizing cells and allowing growth. However, plants and microbes interacting environmentally show that challenging exchanges between both give rise to the successful production of grain, vegetables and fruits. To better characterize and benefit from the resulting molecular mechanism, researchers including physiologists, pathologists, etc. assisted with bioinformatics have designated a high diversity of gene constructs. Upon molecular interactions between designated RNAi and the undesired pest and reliance upon gene-mediated regulation, plant responses and resistance phenotypes, it is thought that such innovative technology can lead to the positive perception of consumers. This Special Issue calls for original articles, reviews and perspectives that show how RNAi can contribute to an increasingly successful technology to challenge the devastative effects of pests. 

Dr. Michel Ravelonandro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Plants
  • RNAi
  • DNA methylation
  • Silencing
  • Co-suppression
  • Pests
  • Resistance

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5456 KiB  
Article
Robust Response to Plum pox virus Infection via Plant Biotechnology
by Michel Ravelonandro, Pascal Briard, Ralph Scorza, Ann Callahan, Ioan Zagrai, Jiban K. Kundu and Chris Dardick
Genes 2021, 12(6), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12060816 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2601
Abstract
Our goal was to target silencing of the Plum pox virus coat protein (PPV CP) gene independently expressed in plants. Clone C-2 is a transgenic plum expressing CP. We introduced and verified, in planta, the effects of the inverse repeat of CP [...] Read more.
Our goal was to target silencing of the Plum pox virus coat protein (PPV CP) gene independently expressed in plants. Clone C-2 is a transgenic plum expressing CP. We introduced and verified, in planta, the effects of the inverse repeat of CP sequence split by a hairpin (IRSH) that was characterized in the HoneySweet plum. The IRSH construct was driven by two CaMV35S promoter sequences flanking the CP sequence and had been introduced into C1738 plum. To determine if this structure was enough to induce silencing, cross-hybridization was made with the C1738 clone and the CP expressing but PPV-susceptible C2 clone. In total, 4 out of 63 clones were silenced. While introduction of the IRSH is reduced due to the heterozygous character in C1738 plum, the silencing induced by the IRSH PPV CP is robust. Extensive studies, in greenhouse containment, demonstrated that the genetic resource of C1738 clone can silence the CP production. In addition, these were verified through the virus transgene pyramiding in the BO70146 BlueByrd cv. plum that successfully produced resistant BlueByrd BO70146 × C1738 (HybC1738) hybrid plums. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi as Potential Tools to Solve Pest Problem)
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14 pages, 2817 KiB  
Article
Non-Target Effects of dsRNA Molecules in Hemipteran Insects
by Arinder K. Arora, Seung Ho Chung and Angela E. Douglas
Genes 2021, 12(3), 407; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12030407 - 12 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2575
Abstract
Insect pest control by RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene expression knockdown can be undermined by many factors, including small sequence differences between double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and the target gene. It can also be compromised by effects that are independent of the dsRNA sequence on [...] Read more.
Insect pest control by RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene expression knockdown can be undermined by many factors, including small sequence differences between double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and the target gene. It can also be compromised by effects that are independent of the dsRNA sequence on non-target organisms (known as sequence-non-specific effects). This study investigated the species-specificity of RNAi in plant sap-feeding hemipteran pests. We first demonstrated sequence-non-specific suppression of aphid feeding by dsRNA at dietary concentrations ≥0.5 µg µL−1. Then we quantified the expression of NUC (nuclease) genes in insects administered homologous dsRNA (with perfect sequence identity to the target species) or heterologous dsRNA (generated against a related gene of non-identical sequence in a different insect species). For the aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum and Myzus persicae, significantly reduced NUC expression was obtained with the homologous but not heterologous dsRNA at 0.2 µg µL−1, despite high dsNUC sequence identity. Follow-up experiments demonstrated significantly reduced expression of NUC genes in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci and mealybug Planococcus maritimus administered homologous dsNUCs, but not heterologous aphid dsNUCs. Our demonstration of inefficient expression knockdown by heterologous dsRNA in these insects suggests that maximal dsRNA sequence identity is required for RNAi targeting of related pest species, and that heterologous dsRNAs at appropriate concentrations may not be a major risk to non-target sap-feeding hemipterans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi as Potential Tools to Solve Pest Problem)
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