Review of RNAi pathways and their core components in insects

Author of the article:SHEN Xiu-Jing YANG Guang

Author's Workplace：Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; 2. Fujian-Taiwan Joint Innovation Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;3. Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350002, China

Key Words：insect, RNAi pathway, siRNA, miRNA, piRNA

Abstract：As one of the key technologies in molecular biology, RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely applied to the study of functional genes and genomes in insects. In addition, the underlying mechanism of RNAi in insects has been the subject of extensive research interest. Recent results indicate that RNAi pathways in insects are similar to those in other animals, including the siRNA, miRNA and piRNA pathways with different RNA molecules that trigger gene silence. The core components of insect RNAi pathways are (1) Drosha and Dicer of the RNase Ⅲ family that have the function of cutting dsRNA, (2) Argonaute protein degrading mRNA, and (3) the dsRNA binding proteins Pasha, R2D2 and Loquacious. This article presents an overview of research on RNAi pathways and their core components in insects in order to further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these pathways and promote theoretical studies of insect RNAi and the practical application of this novel technology in pest management.