Ultrastructural changes caused by Snf7 RNAi in larval enterocytes of western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte)

The high sensitivity to oral RNA interference (RNAi) of western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte) provides a novel tool for pest control. Previous studies have shown that RNAi of DvSnf7, an essential cellular component of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (E...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2014-01, Vol.9 (1), p.e83985-e83985
Main Authors: Koči, Juraj, Ramaseshadri, Parthasarathy, Bolognesi, Renata, Segers, Gerrit, Flannagan, Ronald, Park, Yoonseong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Agriculture
Animals
Apoptosis
Autophagy
Biology
Biotechnology
Cell cycle
Cell death
Corn
Diabrotica virgifera virgifera
Digestive System - metabolism
Digestive System - ultrastructure
Double-stranded RNA
Enterocytes
Enterocytes - metabolism
Enterocytes - pathology
Enterocytes - ultrastructure
Gene expression
Insect Control
Insects
Larva - genetics
Larva - ultrastructure
Lysosomes
Microscopy
Midgut
Pest control
Phagocytosis
Proteins
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA Interference
RNA-mediated interference
Ubiquitin
Ubiquitination
Zea mays
Zea mays - parasitology
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Summary:The high sensitivity to oral RNA interference (RNAi) of western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte) provides a novel tool for pest control. Previous studies have shown that RNAi of DvSnf7, an essential cellular component of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT), caused deficiencies in protein de-ubiquitination and autophagy, leading to WCR death. Here we investigated the detailed mechanism leading to larval death by analyzing the ultrastructural changes in midgut enterocytes of WCR treated with double-stranded RNA (ds-DvSnf7). The progressive phases of pathological symptoms caused by DvSnf7-RNAi in enterocytes include: 1) the appearance of irregularly shaped macroautophagic complexes consisting of relatively large lysosomes and multi-lamellar bodies, indicative of failure in autolysosome formation; 2) cell sloughing and loss of apical microvilli, and eventually, 3) massive loss of cellular contents indicating loss of membrane integrity. These data suggest that the critical functions of Snf7 in insect midgut cells demonstrated by the ultrastructural changes in DvSnf7 larval enterocytes underlies the conserved essential function of the ESCRT pathway in autophagy and membrane stability in other organisms.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0083985