Control of western corn rootworm via RNAi traits in maize: lethal and sublethal effects of Sec23 dsRNA.

BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) triggered by maize plants expressing RNA hairpins against specific western corn rootworm (WCR) transcripts have proven to be effective at controlling this pest. To provide robust crop protection, mRNA transcripts targeted by double-stranded RNA must be sensitive to knockdown and encode essential proteins. RESULTS: Using WCR adult feeding assays, we identified Sec23 as a highly lethal RNAi target. Sec23 encodes a coatomer protein, a component of the coat protein (COPII) complex that mediates ER-Golgi transport. The lethality detected in WCR adults was also observed in early instar larvae, the life stage causing most of the crop damage, suggesting that WCR adults can serve as an alternative to larvae for dsRNA screening. Surprisingly, over 85% transcript inhibition resulted in less than 40% protein knockdown, suggesting that complete protein knockdown is not necessary for Sec23 RNAi-mediated mortality. The efficacy of Sec23 dsRNA for rootworm control was confirmed in planta; T0 maize events carrying rootworm Sec23 hairpin transgenes showed high levels of root protection in greenhouse assays. A reduction in larval survival and weight were observed in the offspring of WCR females exposed to Sec23 dsRNA LC25 in diet bioassays. CONCLUSION: We describe Sec23 as RNAi target for in planta rootworm control. High mortality in exposed adult and larvae and moderate sublethal effects in the offspring of females exposed to Sec23 dsRNA LC25 , suggest the potential for field application of this RNAi trait and the need to factor in responses to sublethal exposure into insect resistance management programs. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

RNAi targeting of rootworm Troponin I transcripts confers root protection in maize.

Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is the major agronomically important pest of maize in the US Corn Belt. To augment the repertoire of the available dsRNA-based traits that control rootworm, we explored a potentially haplolethal gene target, wings up A (wupA), which encodes Troponin I. Troponin I, a component of the Troponin-Tropomyosin complex, is an inhibitory protein involved in muscle contraction. In situ hybridization showed that feeding on wupA-targeted dsRNAs caused systemic transcript knockdown in D. v. virgifera larvae. The knockdown of wupA transcript, and by extension Troponin I protein, led to deterioration of the striated banding pattern in larval body muscle and decreased muscle integrity. Additionally, the loss of function of the circular muscles surrounding the alimentary system led to significant accumulation of food material in the hind gut, which is consistent with a loss of peristaltic motion of the alimentary canal. In this study, we demonstrate that wupA dsRNA is lethal in D. v. virgifera larvae when fed via artificial diet, with growth inhibition of up to 50% within two days of application. Further, wupA hairpins can be stably expressed and detected in maize. Maize expressing wupA hairpins exhibit robust root protection in greenhouse bioassays, with several maize transgene integration events showing root protection equivalent to commercial insecticidal protein-expressing maize.

Application of a source-to-outcome model for the assessment of health impacts from dietary exposures to insecticide residues.

The paper presents a case study of the application of a "source-to-outcome" model for the evaluation of the health outcomes from dietary exposures to an insecticide, chlorpyrifos, in populations of adults (age 30) and children (age 3). The model is based on publically-available software programs that characterize the longitudinal dietary exposure and anthropometry of exposed individuals. These predictions are applied to a validated PBPK/PD model to estimate interindividual and longitudinal variation in brain and RBC AChE inhibition (key events) and chlorpyrifos concentrations in blood and TCPy in urine (biomarkers of exposure). The predicted levels of chlorpyrifos and TCPy are compared to published measurements of the biomarkers. Predictions of RBC AChE are compared to levels of inhibition associated with reported exposure-related effects in humans to determine the potential for the occurrence of adverse cholinergic effects. The predicted distributions of chlorpyrifos in blood and TCPy in urine were found to be reasonably consistent with published values, supporting the predictive value of the exposure and PBPK portions of the source-to-outcome model. Key sources of uncertainty in predictions of dietary exposures were investigated and found to have a modest impact on the model predictions. Future versions of this source-to-outcome model can be developed that consider advances in our understanding of metabolism, to extend the approach to other age groups (infants), and address intakes from other routes of exposure.