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Video Q&A ViewAttendees 6

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Section Symposium

Technical Advances and Regulatory Perspectives in RNAi for Control of Agricultural Pests On-Demand Presentations

First sprayable dsRNA-based biopesticide product targets proteasome subunit beta type-5 in Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

On-Demand
On-Demand

    Presenting Author(s)

  • TR

    Thais Rodrigues

    Head of Discovery Biology
    GreenLight Biosciences
    Durham, North Carolina

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AA

    Andrei Alyokhin

    University of Maine
    Orono, Maine

  • BM

    Brian Manley

    GreenLight Biosciences
    Wake Forest, North Carolina

  • Kenneth Narva

    Head of Entomology, Research Fellow
    GreenLight Biosciences
    Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

First sprayable dsRNA-based biopesticide product targets proteasome subunit beta type-5 in Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

Thais B. Rodrigues, Sambit K. Mishra, Rich Tuttle, David Garby, Ethann R. Barnes, Andrei Alyokhin, Kokulapalan Wimalanathan, Krishnakumar Sridharan, Nicholas J. Skizim, Yu-wen Tang, Brian Manley, Ronald Flannagan, Carole Cobb, Lorenzo Aulisa, Kenneth E. Narva

Colorado potato beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a major pest of potato and other solanaceous vegetables in the Northern Hemisphere. The insect feeds on leaves and can completely defoliate crops. Because of the repeated use of single insecticide classes without rotating active ingredients, many chemicals are no longer effective in controlling CPB. Ledprona is a sprayable double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) biopesticide with a new mode of action that triggers the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Laboratory assays with second instar larvae fed Ledprona showed a dose-response where 25 X 10-6 g/L of dsPSMB5 caused 90% mortality after six days of initial exposure. We also showed that exposure to Ledprona for 6hr caused larval mortality and decreased target mRNA expression. Decrease of PSMB5 protein levels were observed after 48hr of larval exposure to Ledprona. Both PSMB5 mRNA and protein levels did not recover over time. Ledprona efficacy was demonstrated in a whole plant greenhouse trial and performed similarly to spinosad. Ledprona, currently pending registration at EPA, represents a new biopesticide class integrated pest management (IPM) and insecticide resistance management programs directed against CPB.