Full crop protection from an insect pest by expression of long double-stranded RNAs in plastids
Abstract
Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeted against essential genes can trigger a lethal RNA interference (RNAi) response in insect pests. The application of this concept in plant protection is hampered by the presence of an endogenous plant RNAi pathway that processes dsRNAs into short interfering RNAs. We found that long dsRNAs can be stably produced in chloroplasts, a cellular compartment that appears to lack an RNAi machinery. When expressed from the chloroplast genome, dsRNAs accumulated to as much as 0.4% of the total cellular RNA. Transplastomic potato plants producing dsRNAs targeted against the β-actin gene of the Colorado potato beetle, a notorious agricultural pest, were protected from herbivory and were lethal to its larvae. Thus, chloroplast expression of long dsRNAs can provide crop protection without chemical pesticides.
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Zhang et al. (2015) reported control of the Colorado potato beetle by expressing dsRNA in chloroplasts of potato.
“Later, Zhang et al. (2015) reported control of the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by expressing dsRNA in chloroplasts of potato.”
From Genetically engineered crops help support conservation biological control (2019) · cites this paper as Zhang et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Zhang, J., Khan, S. A., Hasse, C., Ruf, S., Heckel, D. G., & Bock, R.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Bock, Ralph
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2015-02-27
- Volume
- 347
- Issue
- 6225
- Pages
- 991-994
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2092704486
- Cited by
- 471
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 42 · 2015: 20
- FWCI
- 16.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Max Planck Society
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biotechnology › Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Keywords
- RNA interference, long double-stranded RNA, transplastomic plants, Colorado potato beetle, beta-actin gene, insect pest control, plant resistance to pests, siRNA, potato, herbivore resistance
- MeSH terms
- Actins, Animals, Coleoptera, Genetic Vectors, Pest Control, Biological, Solanum tuberosum, RNA, Double-Stranded, Transformation, Genetic, Plastids, Plant Leaves, Crops, Agricultural, RNA Interference, RNA, Small Interfering
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