Novel tools for genetic control of pest insects; Oxitec Ltd

该项目的目的是展示Oxitec基因技术的一种新应用，称为RIDL®，用于对抗小菜蛾Plutella xylostella。小菜蛾是世界上芸苔属作物的主要害虫，每年的防治费用和损失达40 - 50亿美元。这种蛾很难控制，主要是由于它能够迅速发展对杀虫剂的抗性;因此迫切需要新的控制工具。遗传技术已经使一种替代控制方法的发展成为可能，称为RIDL，用于这种害虫。fsRIDL昆虫在食物解毒剂的情况下也能正常生活，但没有解毒剂也能有效地产生大量的单性（雄性）蛾。为了控制野生小菜蛾，RIDL雄性被释放到作物上：与野生雌性交配后，所有雌性后代都会死亡，降低了害虫种群的繁殖能力。RIDL在行动中具有物种特异性，因此对环境无害，并且在实地也具有自我限制性，并与其他控制方案互补。因此，RIDL非常适合纳入可持续的综合虫害管理战略。该项目将研究诱导雌性特异性致死的新遗传方法，以产生改进的RIDL菌株，远远超出昆虫合成生物学的现有技术水平。尽可能早地在生命阶段进行雄性选择将为昆虫生产提供可观的节省，从而为更广泛的种植者增加经济可行性，并获得更大的种植者接受度。在这种主要害虫中开发一种潜在的有价值的控制工具也将为将这种环境可持续的害虫控制方法应用于小菜蛾和其他重要害虫物种的新方法提供原理证明。

Theaim of this project is to demonstrate a novel application of Oxitec’s genetic technology,called RIDL®, against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Diamondback moth is theworld’s major pest of brassica crops, with annual control costs and losses amounting to US$4-5 billion. This moth is difficult to control, largely due to its ability to rapidly developresistance to insecticides; therefore new control tools are urgently required. Genetictechnology has enabled the development of an alternative control method, called RIDL, forthis pest. fsRIDL insects live as normal with a dietary antidote, but large numbers of single-sex (male) moths can be efficiently produced without it. For control of wild diamondbackmoth, RIDL males are released over the crop: after mating with wild females all femaleprogeny die, reducing the reproductive capacity of the pest population. RIDL is species-specific in action, and therefore environmentally benign, and also self-limiting in the field andcomplementary to other control options. RIDL is therefore highly amenable to integration intosustainable integrated pest management strategies. This project will investigate novel geneticmethods of inducing female-specific lethality to generate improved RIDL strains, going wellbeyond the present state of the art for insect synthetic biology. Male selection at as early a lifestage as possible will provide considerable savings in insect production, resulting in increasedeconomic feasibility to a broader range of growers, and greater acceptance from growers.Developing a potentially valuable control tool in this major pest would also provide proof-of-principle for a novel means of applying this environmentally sustainable pest control approachto the diamondback moth and other important pest species.