茄二十八星瓢虫（Hv）是近年来在蔬菜、马铃薯及杂草上暴发危害的重要农业害虫，防控主要依赖化学农药。外被体蛋白I的β’亚基（β’COPI）表达对维持真核生物生命特征不可或缺。我们研究发现，饲喂Hv低剂量dsβ’COPI可致其80%个体取食能力下降、发育受阻而死亡。本项目拟采用RNAi、RT-qPCR、蛋白质印记、免疫组化及生物信息学等方法研究dsβ’COPI杀虫活性的分子特性：1）研究干扰β’COPI对Hv中肠围食膜及消化酶基因表达的影响，以阐明干扰β’COPI导致Hv高效死亡的生理机制；2）研究干扰β’COPI对Hv中肠β’COPI核酸和蛋白表达的影响，干扰β’COPI对Hv其它基因表达的影响及功能验证及对Hv中RNAi效率相关基因开展鉴定及功能验证，以阐明Hv中β’COPI RNAi高效性的内在分子机制。研究结果将为开发基于RNAi技术的RNA害虫干扰剂用于Hv防控提供重要理论支持。

Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (Hv) is an important agricultural pest outbreak on vegetables, potatoes, and weeds in recent years; it mainly depends on chemical pesticides for controlling it. The expression of the coat protein I subunit β’ (β’COPI) is indispensable for maintaining the life characteristics of eukaryotes. Our studies show that 80% of individuals died of impaired feeding ability and developmental inhibition by feeding low dose of dsβ’COPI. In this project, the RNAi, RT-qPCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and bioinformatics will be used to investigate the insecticidal activity of dβ’COPI: 1) investigate the effects of silencing β’COPI on peritrophic membrane and the gene expression of digestive enzymes, in order to elucidate the physiological mechanism of silencing β’COPI result in high efficiency death of Hv; 2) investigate the effects of silencing β’COPI on the gene and protein expression of β’COPI in Hv midgut, the effects of silencing β’COPI on the other gene expression profiles and gene functional verification, and the identification and functional verification of genes related to RNAi efficiency in Hv, in order to reveal the intrinsic molecular mechanism of β’COPI RNAi high efficiency in Hv. The results will provide important theoretical support for the development of RNA pest interfering agents based on RNAi technology for controlling of H.vigintioctopunctata.