Ian Wiens
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Ian Wiens has a total of 5 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Daniel Heschuk
Department of Biological Sciences, 50 Sifton Road, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
1 shared publication - David Boguski
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
1 shared publication - David Giesbrecht
Brown University
1 shared publication - Parker LaChance
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
1 shared publication - Steve Whyard
University of Manitoba
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
RNA Interference Is Enhanced by Knockdown of Double-Stranded RNases in the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti
RNA interference (RNAi) techniques are being developed for a range of pest insect control technologies, including the sterile insect technique (SIT) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based insecticides. In SIT applications, where >99% of the released males should be sterile to meet industry standards, the efficiency of RNAi will need to be improved for many insect species if this technology is to be adopted. Endogenous dsRNases can impede dsRNA delivery in some insects, and, here, we investigated whether dsRNases in the midgut could limit RNAi efficacy in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Ten putative dsRNases were identified in the Ae. aegypti genome, with two highly expressed in the midguts of larvae. Using an ex vivo assay, we observed that dsRNA was rapidly degraded within the mosquito larva’s gut. Double-stranded RNA targeting these two dsRNases, when fed to the larvae, effectively reduced gut dsRNase activity. When these dsRNase-specific dsRNAs were co-delivered with dsRNA targeting a cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) reporter gene, greater knockdown of CFP fluorescence was observed. These results suggest that inhibiting dsRNase activity could enable the implementation of RNAi-based mosquito control methods.
Open AccessRNA Interference Is Enhanced by Knockdown of Double-Stranded RNases in the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti
RNA interference (RNAi) techniques are being developed for a range of pest insect control technologies, including the sterile insect technique (SIT) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based insecticides. In SIT applications, where >99% of the released males should be sterile to meet industry standards, the efficiency of RNAi will need to be improved for many insect species if this technology is to be adopted. Endogenous dsRNases can impede dsRNA delivery in some insects, and, here, we investigated whether dsRNases in the midgut could limit RNAi efficacy in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Ten putative dsRNases were identified in the Ae. aegypti genome, with two highly expressed in the midguts of larvae. Using an ex vivo assay, we observed that dsRNA was rapidly degraded within the mosquito larva’s gut. Double-stranded RNA targeting these two dsRNases, when fed to the larvae, effectively reduced gut dsRNase activity. When these dsRNase-specific dsRNAs were co-delivered with dsRNA targeting a cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) reporter gene, greater knockdown of CFP fluorescence was observed. These results suggest that inhibiting dsRNase activity could enable the implementation of RNAi-based mosquito control methods.