Abstract
Acyrthosiphon pisum, more commonly known as pea aphids, are a pest to many species of Fabaceae (legumes) mainly due to the species being prone to carrying Fabaceae diseases. Protection against A. pisum currently includes insecticides and natural predators, both of which bring potential negative effects to other organisms in the surrounding area. In this study, the use of RNA interference (RNAi) provides an alternative and species-specific elimination of A. pisum. The targeted proteins in this study, Autocrine Motility Factor Receptor, plays a role in removing misfolded proteins from the cells of A. Pisum and is encoded by the AMFR gene. Targeting the AMFR gene could potentially result in an increase in improperly folded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and other organelles, which would eventually result in increased apoptosis (cell death) and death of the organism. In this study, RNA was isolated from A. pisum and reverse transcribed into cDNA. This cDNA was combined with AMFR primers to synthesize AMFR dsRNA that would be fed to multiple groups of A. pisum. In preliminary studies, this method has shown reasonable evidence of increased death rate of A. pisum.
Faculty Advisor
James Balthazor
Department/Program
Chemistry
Submission Type
in-person poster
Date
4-10-2026
Rights
Copyright the Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Von Stroh, Micah A. and Balthazor, James
(2026)
"RNA Interference Targeting Autocrine Motility Factor Receptor in Unfolded Protein Response in Acyrthosiphon pisum,"
SACAD: Scholarly Activities: Vol. 2026, Article 47.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2026/iss2026/47
