RNA Interference for Insect Pest Management: Linking dsRNA Structure–Function Relationships, Delivery Biology, and Field Performance
10 affiliations
- 1State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
- 2Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
- 3Molecular Laboratory, Department of Plant Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil
- 4Laboratory of Agricultural and Food Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics, College of Science, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
- 5Department of Entomology, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef, University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan
- 6State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
- 7Department of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt
- 8Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, Muscat 123, Oman
- 9Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
- 10Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a sequence-guided approach to insect pest management, but its efficacy depends on more than the choice of an essential target gene. The biological activity of exogenously applied double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is shaped by its molecular properties, extracellular stability, interactions with delivery materials, cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and access to the RNAi machinery. This review examines these linked determinants and considers how differences in insect physiology contribute to variation in RNAi susceptibility. We discuss target-gene selection and sequence specificity alongside nuclease activity, gut barriers, endosomal processing, and systemic transport. Particular attention is given to nanomaterial-based formulations, including chitosan, liposomes, and layered double hydroxides, as well as microbial, symbiont-mediated, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) platforms. Their potential benefits are assessed in relation to formulation reproducibility, production costs, environmental fate, non-target exposure, and regulatory requirements. By connecting dsRNA structure–function relationships with delivery biology and application performance, this review identifies mechanistic questions and validation steps that must be addressed to develop reliable RNAi-based tools. RNAi is best regarded as a complementary component of integrated pest management, with field deployment requiring species-specific optimization and evidence-based environmental assessment.
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BibTeX
@article{murtaza2026interference,
title = {{RNA Interference for Insect Pest Management: Linking dsRNA Structure–Function Relationships, Delivery Biology, and Field Performance}},
author = {Ghulam Murtaza and Nageena Qayyum and Usama Shoukat and Noshaba Munawar and Mirza Abdul Qayyum and Haneef Tariq and Yong-Ming Chen and Hanaa S. Hussein and Ahmad Nawaz and Guy Smagghe},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/biom16111625},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1625},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - RNA Interference for Insect Pest Management: Linking dsRNA Structure–Function Relationships, Delivery Biology, and Field Performance
AU - Ghulam Murtaza
AU - Nageena Qayyum
AU - Usama Shoukat
AU - Noshaba Munawar
AU - Mirza Abdul Qayyum
AU - Haneef Tariq
AU - Yong-Ming Chen
AU - Hanaa S. Hussein
AU - Ahmad Nawaz
AU - Guy Smagghe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/07
JO - Biomolecules
DO - 10.3390/biom16111625
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1625
AB - RNA interference (RNAi) is a sequence-guided approach to insect pest management, but its efficacy depends on more than the choice of an essential target gene. The biological activity of exogenously applied double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is shaped by its molecular properties, extracellular stability, interactions with delivery materials, cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and access to the RNAi machinery. This review examines these linked determinants and considers how differences in insect physiology contribute to variation in RNAi susceptibility. We discuss target-gene selection and sequence specificity alongside nuclease activity, gut barriers, endosomal processing, and systemic transport. Particular attention is given to nanomaterial-based formulations, including chitosan, liposomes, and layered double hydroxides, as well as microbial, symbiont-mediated, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), and spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) platforms. Their potential benefits are assessed in relation to formulation reproducibility, production costs, environmental fate, non-target exposure, and regulatory requirements. By connecting dsRNA structure–function relationships with delivery biology and application performance, this review identifies mechanistic questions and validation steps that must be addressed to develop reliable RNAi-based tools. RNAi is best regarded as a complementary component of integrated pest management, with field deployment requiring species-specific optimization and evidence-based environmental assessment.
SN - 2218-273X
ER -