Taking the RNAi route to disable genes, control pest attack on crops

Chennai, October 7:

Biotechnological firms, led by US-based Monsanto and Switzerland-based Syngenta, have come up with a new crop technology called ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) that will help control insects and pests in a range of crops by disabling their genes.

The technology, which zeroes in on a genetic sequence unique to a species, will also help protect bees, which are pollinators for one-third of crops in the world.

RNA, considered a sort of messenger in cells, is a genetic code in every living being for a specific function within a cell for survival.

RNAi, a discovery that got Nobel prize for Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 2006, works by interfering with the genetic code or message that RNA carries to protein factories within a cell. A plant cannot produce a particular protein if does not receive any instruction from the RNA code.

For example, the interference process can be used to disable an enzyme in a cell.

In soyabean, the technology can be used to specifically target proteins which control plant pigmentation or oil composition.

A process found in 1990s, RNAi is now increasingly being used in plants. It is a process which scientists claim can kill pests without harming the beneficial ones.

RNAi is different from the GM technology, in which a gene is injected to kill the pest.

In the case of RNAi, the technology is specifically targeted to disable the working of a particular cells functioning. Currently, RNAi is being tested in the form of a spray combination on plants.

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Taking the RNAi route to disable genes, control pest attack on crops