Abstract
The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis is a major pest of rice and is difficult to control. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) is a key enzyme in the chitin synthesis pathway in insects. In this study, the UAP gene from C. medinalis (CmUAP) was cloned and characterized. The cDNA of CmUAP is 1788 bp in length, containing an open reading frame of 1464 nucleotides that encodes 487 amino acids. Homology and phylogenetic analyses of the predicted protein indicated that CmUAP shared 91.79%, 87.89%, and 82.75% identities with UAPs of Glyphodes pyloalis, Ostrinia furnacalis, and Heortia vitessoides, respectively. Expression pattern analyses by droplet digital PCR demonstrated that CmUAP was expressed at all developmental stages and in 12 tissues of C. medinalis adults. Silencing of CmUAP by injection of double-stranded RNA specific to CmUAP caused death, slow growth, reduced feeding and excretion, and weight loss in C. medinalis larvae; meanwhile, severe developmental disorders were observed. The findings suggest that CmUAP is essential for the growth and development of C. medinalis, and that targeting the CmUAP gene through RNAi technology can be used for biological control of this insect.
Highlights
The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a polyphagous insect pest that attacks several species of plants, especially grasses [1]
C. medinalis has been reported as one of the most severe pests of rice crops worldwide [2], and serious infestations have been documented in many countries in Asia, including India, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam [3]
C. medinalis undergoes complete metamorphosis, which consists of four developmental stages, i.e., egg, larva, pupa, and adult [4]
Summary
The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a polyphagous insect pest that attacks several species of plants, especially grasses (deccan grass, johnson grass, cockspur grass, couch grass, and rice) [1]. C. medinalis has been reported as one of the most severe pests of rice crops worldwide [2], and serious infestations have been documented in many countries in Asia, including India, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam [3]. The control of C. medinalis relies mainly on chemical synthetic insecticides [8]. Frequent application of synthetic insecticides leads to resistant populations of C medinalis, pollutes the environment, increases production cost, and brings about a threat to human health [9,10]. Resistance against chemical insecticides has been reported in C. medinalis throughout the world [4]. There is an urgent need to find more efficient and safe methods to control this insect pest
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