RNAi as a strategy for validating genes related to antiviral immunity in Brevipalpus yothersi - citrus leprosis vector

• Grant number: 24/00240-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Valdenice Moreira Novelli
• Grantee: Samira Duarte de Paula
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Known as the most important virus in commercial sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) orchards, citrus leprosis is caused by citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C, Cilevirus, Kitaviridae), with Brevipalpus yothersi as its main vector ( Acari: Tenuipalpidae). The primary strategy for controlling this vector is the application of acaricides, making disease management subject to environmental impacts and risks of resistance, due to calendar failures and excessive spraying. The silencing of essential genes of pests or vectors, via RNA interference (RNAi) technique, has been used for functional genetic studies and for the production of new molecules, aiming for more sustainable alternatives for controlling these arthropods. Considering genetic-functional pathways previously investigated in the Brevipalpus x CiLV-C interaction, this proposal aims to silence some genes related to the mite's antiviral immunity, validating the functionality of these potential targets. As a result, the silencing of these target genes may interfere with the homeostasis of this virus-vector interaction, affecting the transmission of CiLV-C, with the expectation of enabling the production of alternative molecules (dsRNA) in the future for the management of citrus leprosis.