Stability of double-stranded RNA in gut contents and hemolymph of Ostrinia nubilalis larvae

Abstract RNA interference (RNAi) is a revolutionary technique for silencing gene expression, but the success of this technique is dependent upon the stability of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules. In many insects, especially lepidopteran species, RNAi efficiency is limited by high instability of dsRNA in the gut and/or hemolymph, preventing the development of RNAi-based strategies for many serious pests. Previous attempts to perform RNAi on Ostrinia nubilalis (ECB, Lepidoptera: Crambidae) indicate low RNAi efficiency with both dsRNA injection and feeding. To investigate the contribution of dsRNA instability to low RNAi efficiency in ECB, a serious of ex vivo incubation experiments were performed where dsRNA integrity was assessed following incubation in larval gut continents and hemolymph using gel electrophoresis or RT-qPCR. DsRNA was less stable in the gut contents from ECB than in gut contents from Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, a coleopteran exhibiting high RNAi efficiency. Furthermore, characterization of dsRNA stability in ECB gut contents and hemolymph revealed that dsRNA was rapidly degraded under physiologically relevant conditions as a result of enzymatic activity that was neither size- nor sequence-dependent. These findings suggest that instability of dsRNA in ECB tissues is a contributing factor to the poor efficiency of RNAi in this pest. This work advances our understanding of mechanisms impacting RNAi efficiency in ECB and related lepidopteran insects for which novel pest management strategies are needed, and may facilitate the development of strategies for enhancing dsRNA stability in ECB tissues.