Silencing the HaAK gene by transgenic plant-mediated RNAi impairs larval growth of Helicoverpa armigera.

ABSTRACT: Insect pests have caused noticeable economic losses in agriculture, and the heavy use of insecticide to control pests not only brings the threats of insecticide resistance but also causes the great pollution to foods and the environment. Transgenic plants producing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) directed against insect genes have been is currently developed for protection against insect pests. In this study, we used this technology to silence the arginine kinase (AK) gene of Helicoverpa armigera (HaAK), encoding a phosphotransferase that plays a critical role in cellular energy metabolism in invertebrate. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants producing HaAK dsRNA were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The maximal mortality rate of 55% was reached when H. armigera first-instar larvae

SUBMITTER: Liu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4278256 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature