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Chen A, Halilovic L, Shay JH, Koch A, Mitter N, Jin H. Improving RNA-based crop protection through nanotechnology and insights from cross-kingdom RNA trafficking. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 76:102441. [PMID: 37696727 PMCID: PMC10777890 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) is a powerful and eco-friendly method for crop protection. Based off the discovery of RNA uptake ability in many fungal pathogens, the application of exogenous RNAs targeting pathogen/pest genes results in gene silencing and infection inhibition. However, SIGS remains hindered by the rapid degradation of RNA in the environment. As extracellular vesicles are used by plants, animals, and microbes in nature to transport RNAs for cross-kingdom/species RNA interference between hosts and microbes/pests, nanovesicles and other nanoparticles have been used to prevent RNA degradation. Efforts examining the effect of nanoparticles on RNA stability and internalization have identified key attributes that can inform better nanocarrier designs for SIGS. Understanding sRNA biogenesis, cross-kingdom/species RNAi, and how plants and pathogens/pests naturally interact are paramount for the design of SIGS strategies. Here, we focus on nanotechnology advancements for the engineering of innovative RNA-based disease control strategies against eukaryotic pathogens and pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Lida Halilovic
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jia-Hong Shay
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Aline Koch
- Institute of Plant Sciences Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry, Plant RNA Transport, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Neena Mitter
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Horticultural Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Hailing Jin
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
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Mat Jalaluddin NS, Asem M, Harikrishna JA, Ahmad Fuaad AAH. Recent Progress on Nanocarriers for Topical-Mediated RNAi Strategies for Crop Protection—A Review. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28062700. [PMID: 36985671 PMCID: PMC10054734 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
To fulfil the growing needs of the global population, sustainability in food production must be ensured. Insect pests and pathogens are primarily responsible for one-third of food losses and harmful synthetic pesticides have been applied to protect crops from these pests and other pathogens such as viruses and fungi. An alternative pathogen control mechanism that is more “friendly” to the environment can be developed by externally applying double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) to suppress gene expression. However, the use of dsRNA sprays in open fields is complicated with respect to variable efficiencies in the dsRNA delivery, and the stability of the dsRNA on and in the plants, and because the mechanisms of gene silencing may differ between plants and between different pathogen targets. Thus, nanocarrier delivery systems have been especially used with the goal of improving the efficacy of dsRNAs. Here, we highlight recent developments in nanoparticle-mediated nanocarriers to deliver dsRNA, including layered double hydroxide, carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, chitosan nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, liposomes, and cell-penetrating peptides, by review of the literature and patent landscape. The effects of nanoparticle size and surface modification on the dsRNA uptake efficiency in plants are also discussed. Finally, we emphasize the overall limitation of dsRNA sprays, the risks associated, and the potential safety concerns for spraying dsRNAs on crops.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maimunah Asem
- Peptide Laboratory, Drug Design & Development Research Group (DDDRG), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Jennifer Ann Harikrishna
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Abdullah Al Hadi Ahmad Fuaad
- Peptide Laboratory, Drug Design & Development Research Group (DDDRG), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +603-7967-7022 (ext. 2535)
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Bi F, Yu D, Wei Z, Wei H, Ren H, Wang Y, Ren D, Hua Z, Huang B, Yang G. Core-Shell Polymeric Nanostructures with Intracellular ATP-Fueled dsRNA Delivery toward Genetic Control of Insect Pests. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:2762-2772. [PMID: 36745409 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic RNA interference (RNAi) represents a burgeoning and promising alternative avenue to manage plant diseases and insect pests in plants. Nonviral nanostructured dsRNA carriers have been demonstrated to possess great potential to facilitate the application of RNAi. However, it remains a critical challenge to achieve the targeted and effective release of dsRNA into the pest cells, limiting the efficiency of the biological control of pests and diseases in practical applications. In this study, we designed and constructed a new type of core-shell polymeric nanostructure (CSPN) with controllable structure, eco-friendliness, and good biocompatibility, on which dsRNA can be efficiently loaded. Once loaded into CSPNs, the dsRNA can be effectively prevented from nonsense degradation by enzymes before entering cells, and it shows targeted and image-guided release triggered by intracellular ATP, which significantly increases the efficiency of gene transfection. Significantly, the in vivo study of the typical lepidoptera silkworm after oral feeding demonstrates the potential of dsCHT10 in CSPNs for a much better knockdown efficiency than that of naked dsCHT10. This innovation enables the nanotechnology developed for the disease microenvironment-triggered release of therapeutic genes for application in sustainable crop protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feihu Bi
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Deshui Yu
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Zengming Wei
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Hanchen Wei
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Hui Ren
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Yulong Wang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Dalong Ren
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resource Conservation and Bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Zan Hua
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
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Simon I, Persky Z, Avital A, Harat H, Schroeder A, Shoseyov O. Foliar Application of dsRNA Targeting Endogenous Potato ( Solanum tuberosum) Isoamylase Genes ISA1, ISA2, and ISA3 Confers Transgenic Phenotype. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010190. [PMID: 36613634 PMCID: PMC9820567 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Isoamylase (ISA) is a debranching enzyme found in many plants, which hydrolyzes (1-6)-α-D glucosidic linkages in starch, amylopectin, and β-dextrins, and is thought to be responsible for starch granule formation (ISA1 and ISA2) and degradation (ISA3). Lipid-modified PEI (lmPEI) was synthesized as a carrier for long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA, 250-bp), which targets the three isoamylase isoforms. The particles were applied to the plant via the foliar spray and were differentially effective in suppressing the expressions of ISA1 and ISA2 in the potato leaves, and ISA3 in the tubers. Plant growth was not significantly impaired, and starch levels in the tubers were not affected as well. Interestingly, the treated plants had significantly smaller starch granule sizes as well as increased sucrose content, which led to an early sprouting phenotype. We confirm the proposal of previous research that an increased number of small starch granules could be responsible for an accelerated turnover of glucan chains and, thus, the rapid synthesis of sucrose, and we propose a new relationship between ISA3 and the starch granule size. The implications of this study are in achieving a transgenic phenotype for endogenous plant genes using a systemic, novel delivery system, and foliar applications of dsRNA for agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Simon
- Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture Food and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Zohar Persky
- Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture Food and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Aviram Avital
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Hila Harat
- Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture Food and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Avi Schroeder
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Oded Shoseyov
- Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture Food and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Correspondence:
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Voloudakis AE, Kaldis A, Patil BL. RNA-Based Vaccination of Plants for Control of Viruses. Annu Rev Virol 2022; 9:521-548. [PMID: 36173698 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-091919-073708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Plant viruses cause nearly half of the emerging plant diseases worldwide, contributing to 10-15% of crop yield losses. Control of plant viral diseases is mainly accomplished by extensive chemical applications targeting the vectors (i.e., insects, nematodes, fungi) transmitting these viruses. However, these chemicals have a significant negative effect on human health and the environment. RNA interference is an endogenous, cellular, sequence-specific RNA degradation mechanism in eukaryotes induced by double-stranded RNA molecules that has been exploited as an antiviral strategy through transgenesis. Because genetically modified crop plants are not accepted for cultivation in several countries globally, there is an urgent demand for alternative strategies. This has boosted research on exogenous application of the RNA-based biopesticides that are shown to exhibit significant protective effect against viral infections. Such environment-friendly and efficacious antiviral agents for crop protection will contribute to global food security, without adverse effects on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas E Voloudakis
- Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece;
| | - Athanasios Kaldis
- Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece;
| | - Basavaprabhu L Patil
- Division of Basic Sciences, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka State, India
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