Development of RNAi Methods for the Mormon Cricket, Anabrus simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).

ABSTRACT: Mormon crickets are a major rangeland pest in the western United States and are currently managed by targeted applications of non-specific chemical insecticides, which can potentially have negative effects on the environment. In this study, we took the first steps toward developing RNAi methods for Mormon crickets as a potential alternative to traditional broad-spectrum insecticides. To design an effective RNAi-based insecticide, we first generated a de novo transcriptome for the Mormon cricket and developed dsRNAs that could silence the expression of seven housekeeping genes. We then characterized the RNAi efficiencies and time-course of knockdown using these dsRNAs, and assessed their ability to induce mortality. We have demonstrated that it is possible to elicit RNAi responses in the Mo

SUBMITTER: Hoang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9409436 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature