Seed-delivered dual action RNAi for insect protection and modified plant traits

Seed-delivered dual action RNAi for insect protection and modified plant traits | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Seed-delivered dual action RNAi for insect protection and modified plant traits Julia Bally, Soumitra Patekar, Samanta Bolzan de Campos, Bridey Maxwell, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9195507/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) biologics used for RNA interference (RNAi)–based agricultural applications offer a powerful strategy for crop protection and trait modification, yet their deployment remains limited by the lack of efficient exogenous RNA delivery systems. While most explored approaches rely on foliar application or carrier-based formulations, we demonstrate that seeds provide an alternative entry point for non-transgenic RNA delivery to plants. Simple seed treatments enable the delivery of both small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and long-dsRNAs into developing seedlings. Despite sharing a common entry route, the two RNA types follow distinct localisation pathways that can be exploited to achieve different functional outcomes. Seed-delivered siRNAs move into aerial tissues, access the plant cytoplasmic RNAi machinery and trigger silencing of endogenes, resulting in transitive RNAi and visible phenotypes later in development. In contrast, long-dsRNAs are largely unprocessed in the apoplast and remain available for ingestion by herbivorous insects, triggering host-delivered RNAi for insect pest control. Simultaneous seed delivery of siRNA and long-dsRNA enables dual functionality, combining endogenous plant gene silencing with insect gene knockdown from a single treatment. These findings establish seed-mediated RNA delivery as a simple and scalable platform for deploying RNAi-based crop protection and transient trait modulation without genetic modification. Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant biotechnology/Agricultural genetics Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant molecular biology Full Text Additional Declarations Yes there is potential Competing Interest. Bridey Maxwell and Kenneth Narva are employees of GreenLight Biosciences, a developer of dsRNA bioinsecticides. Supplementary Files Supplementaryfigures.pdf Supplementary figures Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9195507","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":614261969,"identity":"63677dd2-c442-4030-a8e5-e8c3ed402243","order_by":0,"name":"Julia 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While most explored approaches rely on foliar application or carrier-based formulations, we demonstrate that seeds provide an alternative entry point for non-transgenic RNA delivery to plants. Simple seed treatments enable the delivery of both small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and long-dsRNAs into developing seedlings. Despite sharing a common entry route, the two RNA types follow distinct localisation pathways that can be exploited to achieve different functional outcomes. Seed-delivered siRNAs move into aerial tissues, access the plant cytoplasmic RNAi machinery and trigger silencing of endogenes, resulting in transitive RNAi and visible phenotypes later in development. In contrast, long-dsRNAs are largely unprocessed in the apoplast and remain available for ingestion by herbivorous insects, triggering host-delivered RNAi for insect pest control. 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