Generating Whitefly-Resistant Plants
Lead Research Organisation:
John Innes Centre
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
Bemisia tabaci is a phloem-feeding whitefly that lives predominantly on herbaceous species. It is a considerable pest of ornamental, vegetable, grain legume, and cotton production, causing damage directly through feeding and indirectly through the transmission of plant pathogenic viruses. B. tabaci is distributed nearly worldwide and has risen in status to one of the most globally damaging pests of open field and protected crops.
The whitefly’s ability to disperse is exacerbated by its extensive movement through commerce of plant products around the globe. In a new territory, its small size and rapid reproductive potential result in explosive population growth. This pest is a major threat for food security at a global scale, being the poorest areas of the world the most susceptible to its devastating effects.
Although integrated crop management has been used to control Bemisia populations with limited success, insecticides are still the main control system. In addition to the potential undesirable impact of insecticides on the environment, whitefly populations have developed a high degree of resistance to several classes of chemical insecticides, which may render this solution useless in the near future. Of note, an innovative alternative method to control this pest with durable efficiency and without environmental side effects could rely on the use of specific RNA silencing.
We have shown that we can silence specific genes of a phylogenetically closely related insect to whitefly, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, by plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi), i.e. by feeding this aphid species on plants that express transiently or stably double-stranded (ds) RNA to aphid genes.
The overall purpose of this project is to investigate if we can use plant-mediated RNAi to generate whitefly-resistant plants. In the future, we will use this RNAi approach to generate whitefly-resistant crops.
The whitefly’s ability to disperse is exacerbated by its extensive movement through commerce of plant products around the globe. In a new territory, its small size and rapid reproductive potential result in explosive population growth. This pest is a major threat for food security at a global scale, being the poorest areas of the world the most susceptible to its devastating effects.
Although integrated crop management has been used to control Bemisia populations with limited success, insecticides are still the main control system. In addition to the potential undesirable impact of insecticides on the environment, whitefly populations have developed a high degree of resistance to several classes of chemical insecticides, which may render this solution useless in the near future. Of note, an innovative alternative method to control this pest with durable efficiency and without environmental side effects could rely on the use of specific RNA silencing.
We have shown that we can silence specific genes of a phylogenetically closely related insect to whitefly, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, by plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi), i.e. by feeding this aphid species on plants that express transiently or stably double-stranded (ds) RNA to aphid genes.
The overall purpose of this project is to investigate if we can use plant-mediated RNAi to generate whitefly-resistant plants. In the future, we will use this RNAi approach to generate whitefly-resistant crops.
Planned Impact
unavailable
Publications
Cañizares M
(2014)
Arabidopsis thaliana , an experimental host for tomato yellow leaf curl disease-associated begomoviruses by agroinoculation and whitefly transmission
in Plant Pathology
| Description | The main aim of this project was to investigate if plant-mediated RNAi can be used towards generating resistant plants to the tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). Plants may include cassava crops and other staple food crops grown in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Mining of public databases for B. tabaci sequence information revealed that the majority of transcripts are only partially sequenced. Moreover, little information was available for transcriptomes of hemipteran plant pests that are related to whitefly. Hence, it was decided to obtain high quality strand-specific transcriptome data for B. tabaci males, females and larval stages and for some aphid and leafhopper species. These data were used for identification of full-length transcripts of genes used as plant-mediated RNAi targets and for annotation of genome sequence data that are currently being generated for many hemipteran species. Comparative sequence analyses should reveal which genes are conserved and unique among hemipteran insects, enabling the development of plant/bacterial-mediated RNAi control methods for B. tabaci or multiple hemipteran species. Mining of the B. tabaci transcript sequence information identified several genes for targeting by plant-mediated RNAi. These were amplified and cloned into plasmid vectors for dsRNA production and transient and stable transformation into Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. We found that gene knock down was observed in adult whiteflies exposed to dsRNA producing in N. benthamiana leaf disks for 6 days. We hosted a PhD student from the University of Malaga, Spain, who obtained a short-term EMBO fellowship to visit my laboratory for 3 months (Sept - Nov, 2012). The postdoctoral researcher co-supervised the PhD student. Attended a meeting and presented a poster at Grand Challenges, Explorations Agricultural Development (Round 8 & 9) and Nutrition (Round 7 & 8) Convening, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Seattle, Washington, USA, May 2013. Presented a talk (invited based on abstract submission) at the 1st International Whitefly Symposium, Kolymbari, Sicily, Italy, May 2013 Presented talk for group of African journalists visiting the JIC, Apr. 2014 Contributed to a press release to announce funding of this project from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Program (2013). |
| Exploitation Route | We are using data generated in this project for other projects. Expertise gained has also helped to make faster progress with the iCASE studentship project that is a collaboration with industrial partner Oxitec. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Education Environment |
| Description | We used the findings to start a collaboration with Oxitec, who agreed to co-fund an iCASE PhD studentship. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education,Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | iCASE PhD studentship |
| Amount | £12,400 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Oxitec Ltd |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2015 |
| End | 09/2019 |
| Description | Formal research collaboration with Oxitec |
| Organisation | Oxitec Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | My group provides knowledge, data and resources on whiteflies and other hemipteran insects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Oxitec provides information on insect transformation technologies and design of transformation plasmids. |
| Impact | Obtained a iCASE PhD student fellowship. Hired PhD student Rebecca Corkill. Rebecca is making good progress with the project. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Formal research collaboration with Tracey Chapman, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK |
| Organisation | University of East Anglia |
| Department | School of Biological Sciences UEA |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am secondary supervisor on a Oxitec co-funded iCASE PhD studentship of Tracey. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Tracey is secondary supervisor on a Oxitec co-funded iCASE PhD studentship of my group. |
| Impact | We exchange knowledge about insect pests. We will start holding monthly journal club meetings starting Apr 2018. DIscussions to apply for research funding together are ongoing. We discuss research on the identification of sex-determination genes accross hemipteran insect species. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Title | METHODS OF INCREASING BIOTIC STRESS RESISTANCE IN PLANTS |
| Description | The invention relates to methods of increasing biotic stress resistance in a plant as well as plants with increased biotic stress resistance and methods of screening plants for the beneficial phenotype |
| IP Reference | WO2021048272 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2021 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Obtained new knowledge of how to obtain plants, including crops, with increased resistance to aphids and possibly other related sap-sucking insects that transmit a diverse plant pathogens, including a broad range of viruses, phytoplasmas, liberibacters and Xylella fastidiosa. |
| Description | Attended meeting at Bill and Melinda Gates foundation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Attended a meeting and presented a poster at the Grand Challenges; Explorations Agricultural Development (Round 8 & 9) and Nutrition (Round 7 & 8) Convening, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Seattle, Washington, USA, May 2013. Engaged with African scientists and assessed if the technology produced in this project is useful for applications to protect crops from whitefly pests and research of colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Contributed to a press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Contributed to a press release to announce funding of this project from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Program (2013). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Engaged with journalists from Africa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Engagement with the general public: Presented talk for group of African journalists visiting the JIC, Apr. 2014 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Presented a talk at a whitefly conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presented a talk (invited based on abstract submission) at the 1st International Whitefly Symposium, Kolymbari, Sicily, Italy, May 2013. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |