Novel tools for genetic control of pest insects; Oxitec Ltd

该项目的目的是展示Oxitec基因技术的新应用，称为RIDL®，用于对抗小菜蛾。小菜蛾是世界上危害芸苔属作物的主要害虫，每年防治费用和损失达40亿至50亿美元。这种蛾很难控制，主要是由于它能够迅速对杀虫剂产生抗性；因此，迫切需要新的控制工具。基因技术使这种害虫的另一种控制方法得以发展，称为RIDL。fsRIDL昆虫在食用解毒剂的情况下可以正常生活，但没有它，大量的单性（雄性）飞蛾可以有效地繁殖。为了控制野生小野蛾，RIDL雄性在作物上释放，与野生雌性交配后，所有雌性后代死亡，降低了害虫种群的繁殖能力。RIDL的作用是针对特定物种的，因此对环境无害，并且在现场具有自限性，是其他控制方案的补充。因此，RIDL非常适合纳入可持续的虫害综合治理战略。该项目将研究新的遗传方法，诱导雌性特异性致死，以产生改进的RIDL菌株，远远超出目前昆虫合成生物学的技术水平。在尽可能早的生命阶段选择雄性昆虫将大大节省昆虫产量，从而增加更多种植者的经济可行性，并使种植者更容易接受。开发一种对这种主要害虫有潜在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.