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Silencing of a LIM gene in cotton exhibits enhanced resistance against Apolygus lucorum
Author(s) -
Liang Sijia,
Luo Jing,
Alariqi Muna,
Xu Zhongping,
Wang Aoli,
Zafar Muhammad Naeem,
Ren Jun,
Wang Fuqiu,
Liu Xuefei,
Xin Yanfeng,
Xu Haonan,
Guo Weifeng,
Wang Yanqin,
Ma Weihua,
Chen Lizhen,
Lindsey Keith,
Zhang Xianlong,
Jin Shuangxia
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.30281
Subject(s) - biology , rna interference , rna silencing , gene silencing , transgene , bt cotton , gene , small hairpin rna , genetically modified crops , transformation (genetics) , botany , rna , genetics
Plant bugs (Miridae species) have become major agricultural pests that cause increasing and severe economic damage. Plant‐mediated RNA interference (RNAi) is emerging as an eco‐friendly, efficient, and reliable strategy for pest management. In this study, we isolated and characterized a lethal gene of Apolygus lucorum and named it Apolygus lucorum LIM ( AlLIM ), which produced A. lucorum mortality rates ranging from 38% to 81%. Downregulation of the AlLIM gene expression in A. lucorum by injection of a double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) led to muscle structural disorganization that resulted in metamorphosis deficiency and increased mortality. Then we constructed a plant expression vector that enabled transgenic cotton to highly and stably express dsRNA of AlLIM ( dsAlLIM ) by Agrobacterium ‐mediated genetic transformation. In the field bioassay, dsAlLIM transgenic cotton was protected from A. lucorum damage with high efficiency, with almost no detectable yield loss. Therefore, our study successfully provides a promising genetically modified strategy to overpower A. lucorum attack.