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Establishment of an RTA ‐Bddsx hybrid system for female‐specific splicing that can affect the sex ratio of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) after embryonic injection
Author(s) -
Huang ChunYen,
Huang Chia Chia,
Dai ShuMei,
Chang Cheng
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.3990
Subject(s) - bactrocera dorsalis , biology , intron , rna splicing , gene , genetics , ricin , pest analysis , microbiology and biotechnology , stop codon , doublesex , tephritidae , botany , rna , toxin
Abstract BACKGROUND The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), a very destructive insect pest in many areas of Asia, including Taiwan, can cause significant damage by ovipositing in and larval feeding on many kinds of fruit. A female lethal system, combining the splicing property of doublesex ( dsx ) with the toxicity of ricin A chain ( RTA ), has been developed. In this system, a modified RTA is separated by Bddsx intron 3; the expressed RNA can only be spliced in females, with toxic effects, whereas the immature RTA in males is harmless. RESULTS Two RTA ‐Bddsx constructs, clone BE 24–7 and clone CF 26–21, containing Bddsx intron 3 and its flanking exonic sequences, with four nucleotides at the 5′‐end and five nucleotides at the 3′‐end, correctly spliced in a sex‐specific manner. Wild‐type and modified RTAs expressed in an Escherichia coli system retained their ability to suppress protein synthesis: 90.4% for Ricin‐ WT , 71.3% for Ricin‐ LERQ and 58.0% for Ricin‐ FEGQ . Embryonic injection of Acp‐ CF26 ‐21, the RTA ‐Bddsx gene driven by the actin 5C promoter, resulted in a significant increase in male percentage in the eclosed adults. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that the RTA ‐Bddsx hybrid system offers a novel and promising approach for oriental fruit fly control. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry