Optimize tools to study gene functions in pest invertebrates with a focus on aphids and whiteflies

该项目是Saskia Hogenhout（John Innes Centre，Norwich，UK）、Grant Hughes（利物浦医学院（LSTMed），UK）和Marcus Guest（Syngenta，Jealotts Hill，UK）实验室的三方合作，旨在开发蚜虫Myzus persicae和烟草粉虱Bemisia tabaci的基因敲除技术。获得这些技术不仅对于获得关于这些昆虫如何与植物建立密切相互作用以及它们如何有效传播病毒的基础知识非常重要，而且对于确定农用化学品控制半翅目害虫的新靶点也非常重要，这些半翅目害虫不会损害有益的无脊椎动物，如蜜蜂。persicae和B.烟粉虱基因组;（2）确定一个合适的配体靶向烟粉虱。persicae和B.（3）在烟粉虱生殖系中进行基因敲除。persicae和B.烟粉虱

This project is a three-way collaboration of the laboratories of Saskia Hogenhout (John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK), Grant Hughes (Liverpool School of Medicine (LSTMed), UK) and Marcus Guest (Syngenta, Jealotts Hill, UK) to develop gene knock-out technologies for the aphid Myzus persicae and the tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci. Access to these technologies will be important not only for generating fundamental knowledge on how these insects establish intimate interactions with plants and how they efficiently transmit viruses, but also for identifying new target sites for agrochemicals to control hemipteran pests that are not damaging for beneficial invertebrates, such as bees.The project has the following three aims: (1) Mine and annotate genes of specific pathways in the M. persicae and B. tabaci genomes; (2) Identify a suitable ligand to target the M. persicae and B. tabaci germlines; (3) Generate gene knock outs in M. persicae and B. tabaci