The OST-complex as target for RNAi-based pest control in Nilaparvata lugens

RNAi-based pest control strategies are emerging as environment friendly and species-specific alternatives for the use of conventional pesticides. Because N-glycosylation is important for many biological processes, such as growth and development, the early steps of protein N-glycosylation are promising targets for an RNAi-based pest control strategy. Through injection of dsRNAs, the expression of the catalytic subunits of the oligosaccharyl transferase complex was efficiently silenced in nymphs of the notorious rice pest insect Nilaparvata lugens. Silencing of both STT3 isoforms resulted in a high mortality of the N. lugens nymphs. However, our data reveals the occurrence of a functional redundancy between the two isoforms when silencing only one of the isoforms. These observations confirm the potential to use the early genes in the N-glycosylation pathway as targets for an RNAi-based pest control strategy. In addition, the existence of a functional redundancy between the two STT3 isoforms presents a factor which one must take into account when designing RNAi-based approaches.