Abstract

CRUZ-MENDEZ, Hever; DIEGO-GARCIA, Elia; LIEDO, Pablo  and  RUIZ-MONTOYA, Lorena. Bioprospecting of insulin receptors from messenger RNA in Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2022, vol.38, e3812513.  Epub Sep 19, 2022. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2022.3812513.

Suppression of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) molecules by RNA interference (RNAi) has been proposed as a method for controlling insect pests. RNAi impedes the morphological and functional development of insects and is considered highly specific. In this study, insulin receptors (InR) were searched for in Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from aphid mRNA, as a first step for further design of RNAi targeting InR suppression. From complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) and by means of nested PCR, the region corresponding to InR was amplified with two pairs of primers designed for Nilapavata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae). InRs could not be identified. However, the presence of the follistatin-binding receptor protein Dip2A (FS) was predicted from the regions of similarity with the InRs that are involved in signal translation in insects. We recommend continuing the search for aphid specific InRs, as well as possible primers for Dip2A regions, to identify a highly specific RNAi.

Keywords : Cabbage aphid; RNAi; Brassica; pest; aphids; insulin.