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Ortolá B, Urbaneja A, Eiras M, Pérez-Hedo M, Daròs JA. RNAi-mediated silencing of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) endogenous genes using orally-supplied double-stranded RNAs produced in Escherichia coli. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:1087-1098. [PMID: 37851867 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, is a major pest affecting fruit and vegetable production worldwide, whose control is mainly based on insecticides. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) able to down-regulate endogenous genes, thus affecting essential vital functions via RNA interference (RNAi) in pests and pathogens, is envisioned as a more specific and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional insecticides. However, this strategy has not been explored in medfly yet. RESULTS Here, we screened seven candidate target genes by injecting in adult medflies gene-specific dsRNA hairpins transcribed in vitro. Several genes were significantly down-regulated, resulting in increased insect mortality compared to flies treated with a control dsRNA targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) complementary DNA (cDNA). Three of the dsRNAs, homologous to the beta subunit of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase (ATPsynbeta), a vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), and the ribosomal protein S13 (RPS13), were able to halve the probability of survival in only 48 h after injection. We then produced new versions of these three dsRNAs and that of the GFP control as circular molecules in Escherichia coli using a two-self-splicing-intron-based expression system and tested them as orally-delivered insecticidal compounds against medfly adults. We observed a significant down-regulation of V-ATPase and RPS13 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) (approximately 30% and 90%, respectively) compared with the control medflies after 3 days of treatment. No significant mortality was recorded in medflies, but egg laying and hatching reduction was achieved by silencing V-ATPase and RPS13. CONCLUSION In sum, we report the potential of dsRNA molecules as oral insecticide in medfly. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beltrán Ortolá
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Politècnica de València), Valencia, Spain
| | - Alberto Urbaneja
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marcelo Eiras
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Politècnica de València), Valencia, Spain
- Laboratório de Fitovirologia e Fisiopatologia, Instituto Biológico, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Meritxell Pérez-Hedo
- Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - José-Antonio Daròs
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Politècnica de València), Valencia, Spain
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Liu X, Zhang Q, Xu W, Yang Y, Fan Q, Ji Q. The Effect of Cuelure on Attracting and Feeding Behavior in Zeugodacus tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:836. [PMID: 37999035 PMCID: PMC10671683 DOI: 10.3390/insects14110836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
As a vital pest control strategy, trapping plays an important role in the system of monitoring, catching and killing fruit flies. Cuelure (4-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-butanone, CL) is a male lure that attracts Zeugodacus tau and also stimulates feeding in this species. In this study, the attraction of Z. tau to CL and its subsequent feeding behavior were investigated. Under the significant influence of age and time of day, the attraction of CL to Z. tau was found to be optimal when flies were 14 days old, and the number of flies trapped increased with trapping duration. It was determined that consumption can improve the mating success and female adult fertility of Z. tau. After the observation period, the mating success rate of flies that ingested CL was significantly higher than that of the control group and was maintained at a higher level. It was found that parental consumption of CL could accelerate the development of eggs and larvae, resulting in increased pupation and emergence rates. The results of this study will further clarify the dynamic relationship between pest and lure, and provide a research basis for navigating the integrated management of Z. tau in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuxiang Liu
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qinyuan Zhang
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Weijie Xu
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yongbang Yang
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qingwen Fan
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qinge Ji
- Institute of Biological Control, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (X.L.); (Q.Z.); (W.X.); (Y.Y.); (Q.F.)
- The Joint FAO/IAEA Division Cooperation Center for Fruit Fly Control in China, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Lab of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou 350002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou 350002, China
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Montoya P, Flores-Sarmiento E, López P, Ayala A, Cancino J. Additive Effect of Releasing Sterile Insects Plus Biocontrol Agents against Fruit Fly Pests (Diptera: Tephritidae) under Confined Conditions. INSECTS 2023; 14:337. [PMID: 37103152 PMCID: PMC10144205 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Pest control models integrating the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and augmentative biological control (ABC) have postulated that it is possible to obtain a synergistic effect from the joint use of these technologies. This synergistic effect is attributed to the simultaneous attack on two different biological stages of the pest (immature and adult flies), which would produce higher suppression on the pest populations. Here we evaluated the effect of the joint application of sterile males of A. ludens of the genetic sexing strain Tap-7 along with two parasitoid species at the field cage level. The parasitoids D. longicaudata and C. haywardi were used separately to determine their effect on the suppression of the fly populations. Our results showed that egg hatching percentage was different between treatments, with the highest percentage in the control treatment and a gradual reduction in the treatments with only parasitoids or only sterile males. The greatest induction of sterility (i.e., the lowest egg hatching percentage) occurred with the joint use of ABC and SIT, demonstrating that the earlier parasitism caused by each parasitoid species was important reaching high levels of sterility. Gross fertility rate decreased up to 15 and 6 times when sterile flies were combined with D. longicaudata and C. haywardi, respectively. The higher parasitism by D. longicaudata was determinant in the decrease of this parameter and had a stronger effect when combined with the SIT. We conclude that the joint use of ABC and SIT on the A. ludens population had a direct additive effect, but a synergistic effect was observed in the parameters of population dynamics throughout the periodic releases of both types of insects. This effect can be of crucial importance in the suppression or eradication of fruit fly populations, with the added advantage of the low ecological impact that characterizes both techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Montoya
- Instituto de Biociencias, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Boulevard Akishino S/N, Tapachula 30798, Chiapas, Mexico
| | - Erick Flores-Sarmiento
- Programa Moscas de la Fruta Senasica-Sader, Camino a Los Cacaotales S/N, Metapa de Domínguez 30860, Chiapas, Mexico; (E.F.-S.); (P.L.); (A.A.); (J.C.)
| | - Patricia López
- Programa Moscas de la Fruta Senasica-Sader, Camino a Los Cacaotales S/N, Metapa de Domínguez 30860, Chiapas, Mexico; (E.F.-S.); (P.L.); (A.A.); (J.C.)
| | - Amanda Ayala
- Programa Moscas de la Fruta Senasica-Sader, Camino a Los Cacaotales S/N, Metapa de Domínguez 30860, Chiapas, Mexico; (E.F.-S.); (P.L.); (A.A.); (J.C.)
| | - Jorge Cancino
- Programa Moscas de la Fruta Senasica-Sader, Camino a Los Cacaotales S/N, Metapa de Domínguez 30860, Chiapas, Mexico; (E.F.-S.); (P.L.); (A.A.); (J.C.)
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Arias MB, Hartle-Mougiou K, Taboada S, Vogler AP, Riesgo A, Elfekih S. Unveiling biogeographic patterns in the worldwide distributed Ceratitis capitata (medfly) using populations genomics and microbiome composition. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4866-4883. [PMID: 35838255 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species are among the most important, growing threats to food security and agricultural systems. The Mediterranean medfly, Ceratitis capitata, is one of the most damaging representatives of a group of rapidly expanding species in the Tephritidae family, due to their wide host range and high invasiveness potential. Here, we used restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) to investigate the population genomic structure and phylogeographic history of medflies collected from six sampling sites, including Africa (South Africa), the Mediterranean (Spain, Greece), Latin America (Guatemala, Brazil) and Australia. A total of 1,907 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to identify two genetic clusters separating native and introduced ranges, consistent with previous findings. In the introduced range, all individuals were assigned to one genetic cluster except for those in Brazil, which showed introgression of an additional genetic cluster that also appeared in South Africa, and which could not be previously identified using microsatellite markers. Moreover, we assessed the microbial composition variations in medfly populations from selected sampling sites using amplicon sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (V4 region). Microbiome composition and structure were highly similar across geographic regions and host plants, and only the Brazilian specimens showed increased diversity levels and a unique composition of its microbiome compared to other sampling sites. The unique SNP patterns and microbiome features in the Brazilian specimens could point to a direct migration route from Africa with subsequent adaptation of the microbiota to the specific conditions present in Brazil. These findings significantly improve our understanding of the evolutionary history of the global medfly invasions and their adaptation to newly colonised environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Belén Arias
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Katherine Hartle-Mougiou
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Sergi Taboada
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfried P Vogler
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Ana Riesgo
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museum Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain
| | - Samia Elfekih
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Black Mountain, Canberra, Australia.,PEARG, School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne VIC, Australia
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