CRISPR/Cas9 ‐based functional analysis of yellow gene in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella

We identified a gene of pigmentation (yellow) in P. xylostella, Pxyellow, and performed a clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR ‐associated protein 9 (Cas9)‐mediated knockout experiment to verify thatPxyellow plays an essential role in the body pigmentation without being directly involved in regulation of growth, development, and reproduction. Such findings prove the effectiveness ofPxyellow as a screening marker for genetically based pest control techniques. AbstractThe diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella (L.), is an economically important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide. This pest is notorious for rapid evolution of the resistance to different classes of insecticides, making it increasingly difficult to control. Genetics ‐based control approaches, through manipulation of target genes, have been reported as promising supplements or alternatives to traditional methods of pest management. Here we identified a gene of pigmentation (yellow) inP. xylostella,Pxyellow, which encodes 1674 bp complementary DNA sequence with four exons and three introns. Using the clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR ‐associated protein 9 system, we knocked outPxyellow, targeting two sites in Exon III, to generate 272 chimeric mutants (57% of the CRISPR ‐treated individuals) with color‐changed phenotypes of the 1st to 3rd instar larvae, pupae, and adults, indicating thatPxyellow plays an essential role in the body pigmenta...
Source: Insect Science - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: LETTER TO THE EDITOR Source Type: research