RNAi-Mediated Knockdown of Tektins Does Not Affect Male Fertility in Lygus hesperus

Abstract

Mirid plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae), including Lygus hesperus (western tarnished plant bug), are key pests of numerous agricultural crops. While management of this pest relies heavily on chemical insecticides, the evolution of resistance and environmental concerns underscore the need for new and more effective approaches. Genetic-based strategies that target male fertiliy are currently being evaluated for population suppression. However, a lack of candidate gene targets with appropriate function, specifically in non-model species like L. hesperus, has hindered progress in the development and application of such approaches. Given their conserved role in stabilization of the flagella axoneme and association with sperm motility in many organisms, members of the tektin gene family represent logical targets for genetic-based sterilization. Here, we identified four homologs of the non-vertebrate tektin family from L. hesperus and used RNA interference-mediated knockdown to assess their roles in male fertility. Although transcription of the four tektins was predominantly in the testis, knockdown had negligible effects on either sperm abundance or male fertility. Our results suggest that tektins do not play a critical role in sperm fertilization of eggs in L. hesperus and are thus likely poor targets for genetic-based sterilization approaches in this species.