@article{feef764cde5c4cf79479937dc07cc87b,
title = "A yeast RNA-interference pesticide targeting the Irx gene functions as a broad-based mosquito larvicide and adulticide",
abstract = "Concerns for widespread insecticide resistance and the unintended impacts of insecticides on nontarget organisms have generated a pressing need for mosquito control innovations. A yeast RNAi-based insecticide that targets a conserved site in mosquito Irx family genes, but which has not yet been identified in the genomes of nontarget organisms, was developed and characterized. Saccharomyces cerevisiae constructed to express short hairpin RNA (shRNA) matching the target site induced significant Aedes aegypti larval death in both lab trials and outdoor semi-field evaluations. The yeast also induced high levels of mortality in adult females, which readily consumed yeast incorporated into an attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) during simulated field trials. A conserved requirement for Irx function as a regulator of proneural gene expression was observed in the mosquito brain, suggesting a possible mode of action. The larvicidal and adulticidal properties of the yeast were also verified in Aedes albopictus, Anopheles gambiae, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, but the yeast larvicide was not toxic to other nontarget arthropods. These results indicate that further development and evaluation of this technology as an ecofriendly control intervention is warranted, and that ATSBs, an emerging mosquito control paradigm, could potentially be enriched through the use of yeast-based RNAi technology.",
keywords = "ATSB, Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, Insecticide, Iroquois, Mosquito, RNAi, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yeast",
author = "Keshava Mysore and Longhua Sun and Hapairai, {Limb K.} and Wang, {Chien Wei} and Jessica Igiede and Roethele, {Joseph B.} and Scheel, {Nicholas D.} and Scheel, {Max P.} and Ping Li and Na Wei and Severson, {David W.} and Molly Duman-Scheel",
note = "Funding Information: Support for this project was provided through the following funding sources: an Indiana University Showalter Scholar award (larvicide screen to M.D.-S.), NIH/NIAID Award 1 R21 AI128116-01 (yeast strain generation and larvicide assessments to M.D.-S., N.W. and D.W.S.), the Department of the Army, US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Natick Contracting Division, Fort Detrick, MD, USA under Deployed Warfighter Protection (DWFP) Program Grant W911QY-17-1-0002 (Aedes aegypti adulticide to M.D.-S.), DoD Awards W81XWH-17-1-0294 and W81XWH-17-1-0295 (semi-field larvicidal ovitrap trials to M.D.-S. and D.W.S., respectively), W81XWH2120038 (Culex adulticides to M.D.-S.), and an Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) Award (Anopheles adulticide to M.D.-S.). These funders played no roles in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript. Funding Information: Funding: Support for this project was provided through the following funding sources: an Indiana University Showalter Scholar award (larvicide screen to M.D.-S.), NIH/NIAID Award 1 R21 AI128116-01 (yeast strain generation and larvicide assessments to M.D.-S., N.W. and D.W.S.), the Department of the Army, US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Natick Contracting Division, Fort Detrick, MD, USA under Deployed Warfighter Protection (DWFP) Program Grant W911QY-17-1-0002 (Aedes aegypti adulticide to M.D.-S.), DoD Awards W81XWH-17-1-0294 and W81XWH-17-1-0295 (semi-field larvicidal ovitrap trials to M.D.-S. and D.W.S., respectively), W81XWH2120038 (Culex adulticides to M.D.-S.), and an Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) Award (Anopheles adulticide to M.D.-S.). These funders played no roles in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",
year = "2021",
month = nov,
doi = "10.3390/insects12110986",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "12",
journal = "Insects",
issn = "2075-4450",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)",
number = "11",
}