Because Honey Bees are essential pollinators, a lot of work has focused on their health and productivity. The present article highlights a study conducted by Leonard et al. Previous research has demonstrated that injecting honey bees with double stranded RNA (dsRNA) initiates the RNA interference immune response. This mechanism occurs not only in the host bee itself, but also any parasites inhabiting the bee, and can be used to "knock down" parasite genes that are used for viral replication. There are several drawbacks to this method, including how expensive and prone to degradation dsRNA is, and unintended effects. Leonard et al. was able to make Honey Bees continuously synthesize their own dsRNA, in a much more stable form; this was found to suppress deformed wing virus (WWV), a major threat to this species.
Rachel Nelson
3/23/20
Nature Reviews Genetics Post #2
No comments:
Post a Comment