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Published on: May 29, 2020
RNAi-Mediated Silencing of vATPase Subunit E Impairs Larval Development in Plutella xylostella, and Virtual Screening
Xuetao Yu1, Jinhua Luo2, Jiayi Xue1
1Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Traceability, Yangluo Station of Chinese Agrosystem Long-Term Observation Network, Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan 430062, China.
Abstract:
The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a devastating global pest of cruciferous crops. This study explores the potential of targeting the vacuolar ATPase subunit E (PxvATPaseE) for its control. We demonstrate that PxvATPaseE is essential for larval development, showing high expression levels in the midgut. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of PxvATPaseE resulted in severe growth retardation and dose-dependent mortality, with higher dsRNA doses inducing more sustained effects. Furthermore, computational virtual screening of natural compound libraries identified a high-affinity binder of PxvATPaseE, such as periplocoside D. Our results demonstrate that PxvATPaseE is a promising molecular target for controlling P. xylostella, supporting a dual-strategy approach combining RNAi and targeted chemical inhibition for future pest management solutions.
