Display female-specific doublesex RNA interference in early generations of transformed oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel).

Background: The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), is one of the most destructive pests in many Asian countries. An effective strategy to reduce fly density in the field is urgently required. Recently, the doublesex of B. dorsalis (Bddsx(f) ) has been cloned, and RNA interference (RNAi) indicates that it can reduce the offspring in vitro. In this study, a piggyBac-based construct that generates short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against the female-specific region of Bddsx was introduced into the pest to test the RNAi effects on reproductive functions in vivo.

Results: After embryonic injection and backcross, 21 transgenic lines with germline transformation were identified. Genomic DNA analysis showed that the exogenous transgene including short hairpin Bddsx(f) and a DsRed marker had integrated into the genomes of 11 transformed lines. Northern blot analysis indicated the presence of Bddsx(f) short interfering RNA (siRNA) under the control of a U6 promoter in transformed flies. As expected, the specific effects of RNAi led to the delay of egg maturation, and the offspring was significantly reduced. Reverse transcription real-time PCR further demonstrated that in vivo interference not only specifically inhibited the Bddsx(f) transcript but also repressed expression of the downstream yolk protein gene (Bdyp1).

Conclusion: The results clearly indicate that RNAi is heritable through the expression of specific siRNA in early generations of transformed oriental fruit fly. These results can broaden the understanding of sex-related developmental mechanisms in the fly, and also offer a possible molecular approach for pest control in the future.