Abstract
Insects constitute the largest and most diverse group of animals on Earth with an equally diverse virome. The main antiviral immune system of these animals is the post-transcriptional gene-silencing mechanism known as RNA(i) interference. Furthermore, this process can be artificially triggered via delivery of gene-specific double-stranded RNA molecules, leading to specific endogenous gene silencing. This is called RNAi technology and has important applications in several fields. In this paper, we review RNAi mechanisms in insects as well as the potential of RNAi technology to contribute to species-specific insecticidal strategies. Regarding this aspect, we cover the range of strategies considered and investigated so far, as well as their limitations and the most promising approaches to overcome them. Additionally, we discuss patterns of viral infection, specifically persistent and acute insect viral infections. In the latter case, we focus on infections affecting economically relevant species. Within this scope, we review the use of insect-specific viruses as bio-insecticides. Last, we discuss RNAi-based strategies to protect beneficial insects from harmful viral infections and their potential practical application. As a whole, this manuscript stresses the impact of insect viruses and RNAi technology in human life, highlighting clear lines of investigation within an exciting and promising field of research.
Highlights
Biogenesis, structure and role in distinct biological processes, small RNAs are classified in three main cell-autonomous pathways: (1) genome encoded microRNAs, which regulate a multitude of biological processes; (2) PIWI-interactingRNAs, which silence transcripts derived from selfish genomic elements, such as transposons (Klattenhoff and Theurkauf, 2008); and (3) small interferingRNAs, which defend the organism against invading viruses (Wang et al, 2006)
It is clear that the impact of RNA interference (RNAi) technology and of insect viral infections on human life cannot be underestimated
RNAi technology poses great potential to contribute to highly specific insect control strategies through delivery of dsRNA to pest species
Summary
The discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) constitutes an important milestone in the study of regulatory RNAs (Fire et al, 1998) In this process, small (s)RNA molecules of 18–31 nucleotides (nt) long effectuate a sequence-specific gene silencing response, acting at the post-transcriptional level through cleavage or blockage of longer RNAs containing a matching sequence (Siomi and Siomi, 2009). Cleavage of viral RNA targets is further exerted by an Argonaute-2 (Ago2) containing ‘RNA induced silencing complex’ (RISC), which encompasses the siRNA guide strand This RNA silencing mechanism can be triggered by artificial administration of gene-specific long dsRNA, a technique that is generally designated as RNAi (Wynant et al, 2014b). Current use of RNAi-based insecticides will be summarized
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