Targeted disruption of a pupal hemocyte protein of Sarcophaga by RNA interference

Previously, we purified a transmembrane protein with a molecular mass of 120 kDa (p120) that is exclusively expressed in pupal hemocytes of Sarcophaga. In this study, we demonstrated that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) injected into the larval body cavity effectively inhibited the expression of p120 in pupal hemocytes. Thus, RNA interference (RNAi) was found to be a useful technique for creating pupal hemocytes with a loss-of-function of a specific protein. The p120-less pupal hemocytes generated by RNAi were found to have lost the ability to take up acetylated low density lipoprotein, indicating that p120 is a scavenger receptor specifically expressed on the surface of pupal hemocytes.