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RNA Interference and Its Potential for Develo** New Control Methods Against Insect Pests

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Advanced Technologies for Managing Insect Pests

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Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is a novel mechanism for the regulation of gene expression that was first discovered in the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Since its discovery, there has been an explosion in the number of publications that described the mechanisms by which RNAi is activated and regulated in many organisms. Major advancements in this field include the discovery that double-stranded RNA molecules are a major factor that drives the initiation of the process, discovering the role of small interfering RNAs, mechanisms of RNA cleavage by Dicer and the discovery of the first Argonaute proteins in model organisms such as C. elegans, Drosophila melanogaster and mammalian cell lines. Despite these important discoveries in model organisms, non-model organisms still suffer major lack in understanding their RNAi machinery, especially the components of the pathway and the enzymes involved. There is a great potential of RNAi in studying gene function and regulation and complementing functional genomics approaches. RNAi might foster the discovery of new gene functions and unravel new technologies for the suppression of the harmful traits caused by disease agents such as viruses, pathogenic bacteria, fungi and insect pests in animal and plant systems. However, a major challenge remains the technologies by which RNAi signals can be delivered and triggered, while preventing non specific effects.

In this chapter, we will briefly review the developments made in understanding RNAi in model organisms, major advancements in non-model organisms, including the potential for develo** new control methods against insect pests based on RNAi, and recent results from our laboratory, examining a new method for delivering dsRNA, and activating RNAi in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a major agricultural pest in many crops worldwide.

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Acknowledgements

Research in Ghanim laboratory was supported by the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund BARD grant IS-4062-07, Binational Science Foundation BSF grant 2007045, Israel Science Foundation ISF grant 884/07 and the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture grant 131-1433-09. This is contribution number 500/12 from ARO publications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Murad Ghanim & Adi Kliot

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  1. Murad Ghanim
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  2. Adi Kliot
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Correspondence to Murad Ghanim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Volcani Center, Dept. of Entomology, Agricultural Research Organization, s/n, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Isaac Ishaaya

  2. College of Agriculture, Entomology, University of Kentucky, s/n, Lexington, 40546, Kentucky, USA

    Subba Reddy Palli

  3. , Entomology, Gilat Research Center, M.P. Negev, Gilat, 85280, Israel

    A. Rami Horowitz

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Ghanim, M., Kliot, A. (2013). RNA Interference and Its Potential for Develo** New Control Methods Against Insect Pests. In: Ishaaya, I., Palli, S., Horowitz, A. (eds) Advanced Technologies for Managing Insect Pests. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4497-4_9

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