The efficiency of RNA interference in Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

RNA interference (RNAi) was performed on several essential genes in the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which causes pine wilt disease. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was delivered to larvae or adult worms by soaking, electroporation, or microinjection. Soaking and electroporation of L2-L3 stage worms in solutions containing dsRNA for essential genes induced over 25% lethality after 5 days, and gene-specific phenotypes were observed. This lethality agreed with significant reductions of the targeted transcripts, as assayed by reverse-transcription coupled with real time PCR. Microinjection was the most efficient route as measured by the hatching rate of F1 embryos, which was reduced by 46%. When adult worms were soaked in dsRNA, lethality was induced in the F1 larvae, revealing the persistence of knockdown phenotypes. The penetrance of the RNAi phenotypes for essential genes was relatively low but consistent, indicating that RNAi should be useful for studying the in vivo functions of B. xylophilus gene products.