CONTROL OF PESTS IN PLANTS
First Claim
1. A method of screening pest genes to identify pest genes which can lead to mortality of the pest when expression of the pest gene is silenced in the pest, the method comprising:
- (a) inserting a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of a first desired gene into a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector of a virus that can infect a desired host to produce a modified VIGS vector, wherein the first desired gene is a pest gene to be screened;
(b) inoculating the host with the modified VIGS vector to produce infected host;
(c) growing the infected host under conditions in which the modified VIGS vector is replicated to produce RNA which accumulates in tissue of the host;
(d) feeding the host tissue with RNA to pests; and
(e) determining whether the RNA is toxic to the pest,wherein pest toxicity identifies the pest gene as a pest gene that leads to mortality of the pest when the pest gene expression is silenced in the pest.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to the field of controlling pests, such as insects, using a virus to express pest genes in hosts. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for rapidly screening for pest genes which can lead to mortality of the pest when the pest has ingested host tissues expressing virus-linked pest gene sequences. The present invention also relates to a method for controlling pests by viral expression of target pest sequences to modify endogenous expression of pest genes in cells or tissues of the pest.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of screening pest genes to identify pest genes which can lead to mortality of the pest when expression of the pest gene is silenced in the pest, the method comprising:
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(a) inserting a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of a first desired gene into a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector of a virus that can infect a desired host to produce a modified VIGS vector, wherein the first desired gene is a pest gene to be screened; (b) inoculating the host with the modified VIGS vector to produce infected host; (c) growing the infected host under conditions in which the modified VIGS vector is replicated to produce RNA which accumulates in tissue of the host; (d) feeding the host tissue with RNA to pests; and (e) determining whether the RNA is toxic to the pest, wherein pest toxicity identifies the pest gene as a pest gene that leads to mortality of the pest when the pest gene expression is silenced in the pest. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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3. (canceled)
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19. A method of controlling pests by viral expression of target pest sequences in a host to modify endogenous expression of pest genes in cells or tissues of the pest, the method comprising:
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(a) inserting a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of a first desired gene to be silenced into a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector of a virus that can infect a desired host to produce a modified VIGS vector, wherein the first desired gene is a pest gene; (b) inoculating the host with the modified VIGS vector to produce infected host; and (c) growing the infected host under conditions in which the modified VIGS vector is replicated to produce RNA which accumulates in tissue of the host, wherein the RNA causes gene silencing in the pest upon ingestion of the RNA produced in the host, whereby pests are controlled. - View Dependent Claims (20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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21. (canceled)
Specification