In silico identification of off-target pesticidal dsRNA binding in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pesticidal RNAs that silence critical gene function have great potential in pest management, but the benefits of this technology must be weighed against non-target organism risks.

Methods

Published studies that developed pesticidal double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) were collated into a database. The target gene sequences for these pesticidal RNAs were determined, and the degree of similarity with sequences in the honey bee genome were evaluated statistically.

Results

We identified 101 insecticidal RNAs sharing high sequence similarity with genomic regions in honey bees. The likelihood that off-target sequences were similar increased with the number of nucleotides in the dsRNA molecule. The similarities of non-target genes to the pesticidal RNA was unaffected by

SUBMITTER: Mogren CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5732542 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature