Abstract

OSSA-OSSA, Gustavo A.; VILLEGAS-ESTRADA, Bernardo  and  VALENCIA-JIMENEZ, Arnubio. Characterization and RNAi-mediated knockdown of a chitin synthase in Hypothenemus hampei (Curculionidae). Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2022, vol.27, n.2, pp.186-198.  Epub May 28, 2024. ISSN 0120-548X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v27n2.89981.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is an insect pest that causes significant damage to the grain and profound economic losses to coffee crops and producers worldwide. Like other insects, the coffee berry borer requires chitin synthases (CHS) for the biosynthesis of chitin, which is the main component of the insect exoskeleton, as well as a component of vital importance for their growth and development. In this study, the coffee berry borer CHS1 gene (HhCHS1) was identified, characterized, and subsequently silenced by using RNAi, a mechanism that allows mRNA to be degraded, interrupting the expression of the proteins of interest in an organism. The expression profiles of the HhCHS1 gene, measured by RT-qPCR, showed levels of differential expression in the different stages of insect development. The highest levels of expression were found in second instar (L2) larvae and adult males. Orally administered dsRNA, at concentrations of 2 µg/100 µL, was able to generate effective HhCHS1 silencing (84 %) after 7 days of treatment. These results suggest that the HhCHS1 gene plays an important role in the development of the coffee berry borer that could be used as target to develop new management strategies of this insect pest by using RNAi.

Keywords : Coffee; dsRNA; insect pest; RT-qPCR.

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