Minicell-based fungal RNAi delivery for sustainable crop protection

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dc.contributor.authorIslam, Md Tabibulen
dc.contributor.authorDavis, Zacheryen
dc.contributor.authorChen, Lisaen
dc.contributor.authorEnglaender, Jacoben
dc.contributor.authorZomorodi, Sepehren
dc.contributor.authorFrank, Josephen
dc.contributor.authorBartlett, Kiraen
dc.contributor.authorSomers, Elisabethen
dc.contributor.authorCarballo, Sergio M.en
dc.contributor.authorKester, Marken
dc.contributor.authorShakeel, Ameeren
dc.contributor.authorPourtaheri, Payamen
dc.contributor.authorSherif, Sherif M.en
dc.contributor.departmentVirginia Agricultural Experiment Stationen
dc.contributor.departmentSchool of Plant and Environmental Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2021-05-12T12:27:20Zen
dc.date.available2021-05-12T12:27:20Zen
dc.date.issued2021-02en
dc.description.abstractSpray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) using topical dsRNA applications has risen as a promising, target-specific, and environmentally friendly disease management strategy against phytopathogenic fungi. However, dsRNA stability, efficacy, and scalability are still the main constraints facing SIGS broader application. Here we show that Escherichia coli-derived anucleated minicells can be utilized as a cost-effective, scalable platform for dsRNA production and encapsulation. We demonstrated that minicell-encapsulated dsRNA (ME-dsRNA) was shielded from RNase degradation and stabilized on strawberry surfaces, allowing dsRNA persistence in field-like conditions. ME-dsRNAs targeting chitin synthase class III (Chs3a, Chs3b) and DICER-like proteins (DCL1 and DCL2) genes of Botryotinia fuckeliana selectively knocked-down the target genes and led to significant fungal growth inhibition in vitro. We also observed a compensatory relationship between DCL1 and DCL2 gene transcripts, where the silencing of one gene upregulated the expression of the other. Contrary to naked-dsRNAs, ME-dsRNAs halted disease progression in strawberries for 12 days under greenhouse conditions. These results elucidate the potential of ME-dsRNAs to enable the commercial application of RNAi-based, species-specific biocontrols comparable in efficacy to conventional synthetics. ME-dsRNAs offer a platform that can readily be translated to large-scale production and deployed in open-field applications to control grey mould in strawberries.en
dc.description.notesThe authors are grateful for the funding from The Virginia Catalyst (Fund #460380). The authors are also grateful for the support of The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT CRCF) and The Virginia Wine Board.en
dc.description.sponsorshipVirginia Catalyst (Fund) [460380]; Center for Innovative Technology (CIT CRCF); Virginia Wine Boarden
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13699en
dc.identifier.issn1751-7915en
dc.identifier.pmid33624940en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/103251en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.titleMinicell-based fungal RNAi delivery for sustainable crop protectionen
dc.title.serialMicrobial Biotechnologyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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Scholarly Works, Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station
Destination Area: Global Systems Science (GSS)
Scholarly Works, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences