Identification and functional characterization of a larvae cuticle protein in the lower termite Reticulitermites flavipes

There are over 2,700 species of termites on this planet. Because of their cryptic nature and unique capability of digesting woody materials, termites represent a tremendous challenge to the human society, and are considered by many as one of the most destructive insect pests in the world. The combined damages and control costs exceeds $30 billion annually. Termites have been controlled predominantly by the synthetic chemicals. The persistency and highly toxic nature of termiticides, however, post a serious threat to our surrounding environment and human health. To reduce our reliance on broad-spectrum termiticides, we developed a RNA interference-based control alternative using the termites own gene against them. In this study, a group of genes involved in the worker to soldier caste differentiation process have been cloned and functionally characterized. By suppressing the expression of these genes, the developmental process of termites was disrupted and the colony fitness was compromised. In addition, at higher dosage challenged termites exhibited molting defects and high mortality. These results indicate the genes involved in the termite development are viable target sites for the RNAi-based genetic controls.