Resistance to Lymantria dispar larvae in transgenic poplar plants expressing CYP6B53 double-stranded RNA

RNA interference (RNAi) has great potential in functional genomics research and pest control. Gene silencing and phenotypes ranging from appetite loss to death have been observed after larvae fed on leaves of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-expressing transgenic plants harbouring specific genes from the target insect. In this study, transgenic poplar plants expressing CYP6B53 dsRNA from Lymantria dispar were generated via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to control this pest. The CYP6B53 was successfully integrated into the poplar genome by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and dsCYP6B53 expression confirmation. Expression was significantly down-regulated at the transcription level after L. dispar larvae feeding on leaves of the transgenic plants. Meanwhile, CYP6B53 transcription levels in the larvae decreased by 25.31-88.53% compared with those reared on transgenic poplar expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) dsRNA. A bioassay further revealed that transgenic plants expressing dsCYP6B53 not only inhibited larval feeding but also delayed overall growth. In summary, Poplar plants harbouring CYP6B53 dsRNA resulted in suppression of CYP6B53 expression in L. dispar larvae, impairing development, and providing a novel alternative for pest control.