RNAi knockdown of acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene eliminates jinggangmycin-enhanced reproduction and population growth in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

A major challenge in ecology lies in understanding the coexistence of intraguild species, well documented at the organismal level, but not at the molecular level. This study focused on the effects of the antibiotic, jinggangmycin (JGM), a fungicide widely used in Asian rice agroecosystems, on reproduction of insects within the planthopper guild, including the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens and the white-backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera, both serious resurgence rice pests. JGM exposure significantly increased BPH fecundity and population growth, but suppressed both parameters in laboratory and field WBPH populations. We used digital gene expression and transcriptomic analyses to identify a panel of differentially expressed genes, including a set of up-regulated genes in JGM-treated BPH, which were down-regulated in JGM-treated WBPH. RNAi silencing of Acetyl Co-A carboxylase (ACC), highly expressed in JGM-treated BPH, reduced ACC expression (by > 60%) and eliminated JGM-induced fecundity increases in BPH. These findings support our hypothesis that differences in ACC expression separates intraguild species at the molecular level.