The book covers the advanced concepts and creative ideas on the postgenomic tool of RNAi that received the Nobel Prize in 2006. Emphasis was placed on the mechanisms of RNAi, the core machinery and the applications in agriculture. This book covers contributions from academia, industry and Goverment regulatory authorities. Applications to control major important pest insects, as for example western corn rootworm with use of transgenic plant RNAi. But also attention was given to the use of RNAi as a spray (non-transgenic plant approach) or tree-injection. Examples include the control of Colorado potato beetle and treatment of citrus trees to control Asian citrus psyllid. Additionally, the aspect of biosafety and risk assessment were also covered in the book with input from the bioinformatics and risk assessment testing, combined with regulatory input from EPA-USA and EFSA-EU.
In summary, the editors believe that this book provides for the first time an invaluable vast source of basic and applied information for a plethora of scientists in academia, industry, and regulatory, as well as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
The road to RNAi-based pest control: A historical perspective.- RNA
interference: View on its current status since the 2006 Nobel Prize and
impact on the agriculture looking to the future.- Safety of
oligonucleotide-based active ingredients used as crop protection agents.- RNA
insecticides and biodiversity conservation.- Steps toward efficient
nanocarrier-mediated gene delivery for RNA interference in insects:
stabilization, endocytosis and endosomal escape of genes for intracellular
spreading.- Symbiont-mediated RNAi: mechanisms, current status and
prospects.- Message in a vesicle: the role of extracellular vesicle cargo in
parasite-host interkingdom communication and spread of systemic RNAi in
insects.- Plastid-mediated RNA interference for pest control.- Sustainable
crop protection via reversible acylation of 2OH groups in dsRNA.- RNAi in
the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum): current status and future
perspectives.- RNAi in the migratory locust: functional studies of the genes
in the formation and development of cuticle.- RNAi in Chelicerata, spider and
mites: meta-analysis and current status of two model organisms and
protocols.- The migratory locust as a model for studying the mechanisms of
RNAi.- si/dsRNAs and miRNAs, mechanisms and interactions.- Insect cell lines
and RNAi.- Resistance to RNAi: mechanisms, current status and prospects.-
Invention of RNAi biopesticides to psyllid vectors and bacterial pathogens of
citrus: Future technologies for gene targeting.- RNAi technique and the
management of stinkbugs in the Neotropical region of Brazil: From the lens of
efficiency and environmental sustainability in integrated pest management
(IPM). RNAi technology against forest pests: Opportunities, challenges and
future prospects.- RNAi in Lepidoptera: current status, impact of enzymatic
degradation, and future perspectives.- Comparing RNAi and CRISPR in the fall
armyworm: a meta-analysis, mechanisms and perspectives.- RNAi biopesticides
for root-feeding insects.- Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina
management: Established methods and RNA interference-based biocontrol.-
Regulation of RNAi in pesticidal products in the United States.- Regulatory
landscape surrounding approval and authorisation of dsRNA-based plant
protection products in Europe.- How to talk about RNA so that people
understand it and are comfortable with an unfamiliar technology.- CalanthaTM:
the first commercialized sprayable dsRNA product for insect control.
Guy Smagghe is a professor at the Ghent University in Belgium. His major research interests are in the areas of insect physiology, biochemistry and (eco)toxicology with a focus on more fundamental topics and also applications impacting on the field of insect pest control. Dr. Smagghe has been the author or coauthor of about 480 research publications and books. His research has been continually supported by grants from the Ghent University, IWT and FWO, and he continues to serve in different national and international committees related to his research interests. He was awarded for his professional work by the prestigious First Prize of the Belgian Royal Academia of Arts, Sciences and Linguistics, and he is an elected fellow of the Society of In Vitro Biology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dr. Subba Reddy Palli received his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario and post-doctoral training at the University of Washington. He worked as a research scientist at the Canadian Forest Services Great Lakes Forestry Centre and later at Rohm and Hass Company. as the senior research scientist and played a key role in development of Ecdysone Receptor based Gene Switch technology. Dr. Palli joined the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology as an assistant professor in 2002 and was promoted to associate professor and professor in 2005 and 2008, respectively. He became Chairman of the Department of Entomology in 2015. He also serves as the co-director of NSF I/UCRC on Arthropod Management Technologies and Kentucky State Entomologist. He has received several prestigious awards including a University Research Professorship, the Thomas Poe Cooper Research Award, Bobby Pass Excellence in Grantsmanship Award, High Impact Research/Extension Award and Wethington Award. Dr. Palli is also the recipient of Entomological Society of America (ESA) Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, Nan Yao Soo Award for Innovation and Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award. He was selected as a fellow of ESA and AAAS. Dr. Pallis research focuses on hormonal regulation of gene expression in insects with a goal to identify proteins that play key roles in signal transduction of ecdysteroids, juvenile hormones and other hormones and use them for developing novel environmentally safe pest management methods. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and co-edited two books. He holds 25 patents. Recent research from Dr. Pallis laboratory helped to develop RNA interference technology-based methods for controlling insect pests as well as to fight insecticide resistance in beetles.
Luc Swevers is research director (Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology research group) at the Institute of Bosciences & Applications, National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece. His work involved the characterization of the RNAi machinery in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and lepidopteran cell lines, especially with respect to its role in antiviral defense. More recent research relates to the application of virus-like particles as delivery vehicles of dsRNA and the role of piRNAs during baculovirus (B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus) infection.
