Blocking one gene makes crop-eating moths nearly sterile
Wang P, Chen Y, Bai Y, Cao Y, Chen X
Crispr
The fall armyworm behind this study is one of the most destructive pests of corn and other food crops worldwide, so a gene that cripples its ability to reproduce could mean fewer pesticides reaching the plants in your garden or on your plate.
Fall armyworm moths are a huge threat to crops around the world, and researchers are looking for ways to stop them from reproducing instead of spraying chemicals. They found a gene that acts like a tiny caretaker protein in the moth's testes, and when they switched it off using gene-editing tools, the males still mated normally but their sperm couldn't travel to where it needed to go, leaving the females unable to get pregnant. This discovery gives pest-control programs a specific genetic target to make male moths infertile on purpose.
Key Findings
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of SfHsp20.2 caused severe structural defects in eupyrene sperm bundles and reduced numbers of apyrene sperm bundles
Mutant sperm transferred normally to the female bursa copulatrix but failed to migrate to the spermatheca, resulting in male-specific near-sterility
Transcriptome analysis showed the mutation disrupted energy metabolism and stress response pathways in the testes
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists disabled a heat-shock protein gene in fall armyworm moths and found it makes males nearly sterile by breaking how their sperm develop and move, offering a possible biological lever to control this major crop pest without chemicals.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
SfHsp20.2 is required for male fertility by controlling eupyrene sperm bundle morphogenesis and sperm migration in the fall armyworm.
The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a destructive pest threatening global food security. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising eco-friendly control strategy, which relies on ex...
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