Source: CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION submitted to NRP
TUNABLE RELEASE OF DSRNA MOLECULES INTO PLANTS FROM SUSTAINABLE NANOCARRIERS: A NOVEL MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR VIRAL PATHOGENS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1028004
Grant No.
2022-67021-36345
Cumulative Award Amt.
$636,646.00
Proposal No.
2021-08559
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 1, 2022
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2024
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[A1511]- Agriculture Systems and Technology: Nanotechnology for Agricultural and Food Systems
Recipient Organization
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
PO BOX 1106
NEW HAVEN,CT 06504
Performing Department
Plant Pathology
Non Technical Summary
PROJECTSUMMARY:Plant virusescause US$30B losses annually worldwide.Viricide for control of viruses in crops is nonexistent and therefore, we rely heavily on the use of viral-resistant plant varieties and prophylactic methods.However, the lack of natural viral-resistant genes in plants coupled with a constant emergence of new virus strains, and the inefficiency of insecticides to control vector-insects of viruses, make plant virus disease management a challenging task.Thus, there is an increasing demand for innovative and sustainable ways of controlling virus epidemics in agricultural systems.Virus resistance has been induced in plants by the application of exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), but its effectiveness is short-lived (~ five days).DsRNA is quickly assimilated by plant defense mechanisms and is also degraded by environmental factors. As safe applications of nanomaterials develop, nanotechnology is becoming a promising resource to promote sustainable agriculture.We propose to develop a novel and sustainable nanoparticle platform to deliver an effective and prolonged supply of dsRNAs in plants, with the long-term goal of developing innovative technologies to control plant viruses.We propose to use a staple crop and its most destructive virus pathogen (potato and potato virus Y) as our research system.Our two specific objectives and deliverables are:Short-term:synthesize three different nanoparticle platforms (chitosan, silica, and carbon dots) and test their capacity to provide stable and sustained delivery of dsRNA molecules into potato plant tissue.Long-term:develop atunable platform for dsRNA delivery(nanoparticle-dsRNA complex) that canbe translated to a range of viral-crop systems.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
30%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
21240301101100%
Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
4030 - Viruses;

Field Of Science
1101 - Virology;
Goals / Objectives
Short-term goal:synthesize three different nanoparticle platforms (chitosan, silica, and carbon dots) and test their capacity to provide stable and sustained delivery of dsRNA molecules into potato plant tissue.Long-term goal:develop a tunable platform for dsRNA delivery (nanoparticle-dsRNA complex) that can be translated to a range of viral-crop systems.Objective 1 - Synthesis and screening of nanoparticles and loading of target dsRNAs:Objective 1a.Synthesis of chitosan-based nanoparticles.Objective 1b. Synthesis of silica NPs.Objective 1c.Synthesis ofCarbon dots.Objective 2. Selection of the optimum nucleic acid delivery system:To choose the ideal dsRNA delivery system, the different nanoparticles will be tested for their loading capacity and potential leaching of dsRNA, and their ability to protect dsRNA from degradation.Objective 3 - Bioassays to evaluate dsRNA-nanoparticles in planta and their efficacy to control virus infections.Besides testing the potential use of the combinations dsRNA-NP (dsRNA loaded into nanoparticles) to control PVY infections, experiments will be designed to evaluate the release and degradation rates of dsRNAs and the systemic movement of dsRNAsin plantato aid the creation of a sustainable PVY control strategy.Objective 3a.Inoculation assays.The treatments will be:1 - mock (plants treated with water solution), 2 - NP (plant treated with nanoparticles only), 3 - dsRNA (plants treated with dsRNA only), and 4 - NP-dsRNA (plants treated with nanoparticle-dsRNA complex).Objective 3b.NP-dsRNA effect on the host.We will monitor plant health and yield in response to each nanocarrier complex. Plant growth measurements (height, canopy, and biomass) will be recorded and compared between treatments. Objective 3c.NP-dsRNA effect on the microbiome.We will also investigate if the treatments proposed (more specifically the dsRNAs and NPs used) have any effect on the plant and rhizosphere microbiomes.The microbiomes in plants and rhizospheres play an important role in plant nutrition, development, and help plants to fight pest and diseases; therefore any technology that affects these microbiomes will ultimate affect the overall plant health.
Project Methods
Methods for each objectiveObjective 1 - Synthesis and screening of nanoparticles and loading of target dsRNAs:We are currently testing the dsRNAs from the CP, NIb, and HC-Pro regions of PVY genome for optimal control against PVY in potato. Several studies indicate that processing of vsiRNAs (pattern of hotspots) is dependent on the virus rather than the host.Furthermore, tobacco is a model plant to study PVY - strains of the virus are routinely infected in tobaccofor inoculation assays or to save viable virusat-80oC for future studies (e.g., inoculation assays and molecular biology studies).We hence expect that at least the dsRNA from HC-Pro region, which was effective in anti-viral control in tobacco plants, will protect potato too against PVY infection.Objective 1a.Synthesis of chitosan-based nanoparticles.Chitosan is a natural polymer that hasgained popularity in drug delivery applications during the last two decades due to its natural origin, biodegradability, and non-toxicity.The electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged nucleic acids and the positively charged amine group of chitosan polymer result in the formation of a polyplex that protects nucleic acid cargos from enzymatic degradation.Chitosan-basednanoparticles have been successfully used for gene delivery in medical research and tocarry dsRNA and mediate RNAi mechanisms in mosquitos, but not in plants.Owing to the several advantages (e.g.,positively charged, biodegradable, non-toxic to mammals, and RNA protection), in our research program, we aim to develop a chitosan-dsRNA complex that will sustainably release dsRNA to fight plant virus infections in crops.Objective 1b. Synthesis of silica NPs.Silica nanoparticles (NP) have been widely used to deliver several types of biomolecules into biological tissue, including RNA and DNA in plant cells.Silica NPs are robust, biocompatible, cheap to produce, and customizable.They can be synthesized in different shapes and sizes and the surface properties can be easily tailored.We will synthesize two types of silica NPs,microporous and Stöber method,in our research program and compare their capability of gradual release and protection of dsRNA delivered to plants.Objective 1c.Carbon dots. The minute size (< 10 nm), fluorescent properties, eco-friendly synthesis and ease of scalability make carbon dots (CDs) attractive materials to test in our project. CDs can potentially enter plant tissues by passively crossing membrane barriers. The CDs' inherent luminescence can aid their detectionin planta,presenting an opportunity for us to track their location.Small molecule precursors are used in the CD's microwave synthesis, and they can be tailored to contain positive charges that provide dsRNA affinity. Our CDs synthesis will be based on Zhi et al. from Dr. Haynes' group.The synthesis results in N-doped CDs generated from small organic acids (such as citric acid, malic acid, or even chitosan) and ethylenediamine. Another advantage of using CDs is that their luminescence will change according to the degree of dsRNA affinity, which will allow us to optically evaluate the adsorption of dsRNA on CDs.Objective 2. Selection of the optimum nucleic acid delivery system:To choose the ideal dsRNA delivery system, the different nanoparticles will be tested for their loading capacity and potential leaching of dsRNA, and their ability to protect dsRNA from degradation.Objective 3 - Bioassays to evaluate dsRNA-nanoparticles in planta and their efficacy to control virus infections.Besides testing the potential use of the combinations dsRNA-NP (dsRNA loaded into nanoparticles) to control PVY infections, experiments will be designed to evaluate the release and degradation rates of dsRNAs and the systemic movement of dsRNAsin plantato aid the creation of a sustainable PVY control strategy.Objective 3a.Inoculation assays.Potato plants will be sprayed with dsRNA-nanoparticles solution and challenged with PVY at different time points to determine if dsRNA-NP complexes help to protect potato plants against PVY infection and for how long the "vaccination" effect lasts - our goal is to achieve a protection window of at least 40 days.The treatments will be:1 - mock (plants treated with water solution), 2 - NP (plant treated with nanoparticles only), 3 - dsRNA (plants treated with dsRNA only), and 4 - NP-dsRNA (plants treated with nanoparticle-dsRNA complex).Objective 3b.NP-dsRNA effect on the host.We will monitor plant health and yield in response to each nanocarrier complex. Plant growth measurements (height, canopy, and biomass) will be recorded and compared between treatments.We will also analyze the elemental profile of the edible tissue (tubers) by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). These parameters are important to be monitored for purposes of risk assessment, and also for potential indirect benefits of the treatments; for example, assessing increases or decreases in yield or changes in the nutrients content of potatoes. TEM and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission or mass spectroscopy (ICP-OES or ICP-MS) analyses will be performed on tissues from inoculated and systemic leaves, shoots and roots to trace the presence (and thereby transport) and quantify silica nanoparticles in different parts of the plant.CDs will be also tracked using techniques like confocal microscopy and quantified by their fluorescence. Besides electron microscopy techniques, chitosan can alternatively be analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR-microscopy. Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR will be used for evaluating uptake and systemic movement of dsRNA in potato leaves and other tissues.Stem loop RT-PCR will be used for tracking the movement of vsiRNA through the plants, including tubers, and RT-PCR will be used for determining the virus load in the plants.Host transcriptome analysis will performed on three plants from each treatment, if any, are being impacted by the treatments proposed.Objective 3c.NP-dsRNA effect on the microbiome.We will also investigate if the treatments proposed (more specifically the dsRNAs and NPs used) have any effect on the plant and rhizosphere microbiomes.The microbiomes in plants and rhizospheres play an important role in plant nutrition, development, and help plants to fight pest and diseases; therefore any technology that affects these microbiomes will ultimate affect the overall plant health.Total RNA and DNA will be isolated from three plants and their rhizosphere from each of the treatment,(dsRNA/NP/NP-dsRNA/mock)using the TRIazol reagent (Thermo Fisher, Waltham MA, USA).DNA will be subjected to PCR using primers to amplify the 16S rRNA gene sequences for studying bacterial microbiome as described in Sinclair (2015) and RNA will be sent to Yale University Keck Lab for Illumina deep sequencing using the ribosomal depletion library preparation assay for studying the plant virome[64].For the bacterial microbiome, DNA sequences will be bioinformatically processed as described in (Cui et al. 2021and for the virome analysis, RNA deep-sequenced will be processed following the pipelines described in Maclotet al. (2020).All these assays and bioinformatic analysis are routinely performed in the da Silva lab and in other collaborator labs at CAES.

Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Other scientists in the area of plant virology and nanotechnology as well as members of the industry and potato growers were reached via seminars and posters presented at conferences, symposia, and universities by the PD, students, and the postdoctoral scientist hired in this grant. - The PD, Dr. da Silva, gave oral presentations related to this project at thirteenconferences:American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting(APS) Annual Meeting. Memphis, TN. Jul 2024;Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference. Manchester, NH,June 2024;Connecticut Small Fruit Conference,Storrs, CT,Jan 2024;Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference. Los Angeles, CA, Nov 2023; Genome Editing Symposium at Texas A&M University. College Station, TX, Oct 2023; ICPP, Lyon, France,Aug 2023; APS Annual Meeting,Denver, CO,Aug 2023; UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium. Amherst, MA, Jul 2023; Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Annual Meeting,Dublin, IR,Apr 2023; National Virtual Biosecurity of Bioenergy Crops Center (NVBBCC) by DoE, Mar 2023; the APS-NED Annual Meeting,Southbury, CT, Mar 2023;Workshop to Identify Convergent Nanotechnology Approaches for the Precision Delivery of Active Agents in Plants, sponsored by the NSF and USDA, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, Sept 2022; abd APS Annual Meeting inPittsburgh, PA on August 6-10, 2022. - The PD gave invited seminars at nine Universities: Yale University, New Haven, Mar 2025; UniversidadeFederal de Vicosa, Vicosa, Brazil, Oct 2024; Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-arido. Mossoro, RN, Brazil,Dec 2023; the University of Maryland,College Park, MD,Oct 2023; the Universitat Politècnica de València. Valencia, Spain,Jun 2023; the University of Leeds,Leeds, UK. May 2023; and UCONN Seminar Series,Storrs,Jan 2023. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Oct 2022. Cornell University, Ithaca, Mar 2022. The PD was also invited to attend the USDA-NIFA nano grantees meeting held in Knoxville, TN. Aug 2023 and in Manchester, NH, Jun 2024, where he gave a presentation on the data fromthis grant and also presented a poster to other nanotechnology PDs. - The students working on this project presented posters at five symposia/conferences: the APS-NED Annual Meeting, APS Annual Meeting, Sussex Symposium (held at Yale University), UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium, and the CAES Postdoctoral Symposium (held at CAES- CT Agri. Exp. Station). Students also gave oral presentations at three symposia: the Sussex Symposium, the UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium, and at the CAES Postdoctoral Symposium (held at CAES- CT Agri. Exp. Station). - The postdoctoral scientist gave four oral presentations: the APS-NED Annual Meeting, the 2023 São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Nanotechnology - Agriculture & Environment (SPSAS NanoAgri&Enviro). Changes/Problems:The nanocarriers types (silicaand Carbon dots) proposed in the original project, did't hold the cargos as expected (the dsRNA molecules attached to those NC were easily dissociated from them and the dsRNAs were not protected from enzyme degradations) and therefore they were considered not suitable NCs for our goals. In lieu of those nanocarriers, we synthesized and characterized peptide- and chitosan-based NCs to move forward with the project objectives. And we got excellent results and we are working on a high impact manuscript to report those results. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral scientist (Dr. Raja Muthuramalingam), an undergraduate student (Juliana Milagres), four graduate students (Karol Barroso, Wilanyi Reyes, Talison Costa, and Maria Helena Diogenes), and two professors doing their sabbaticals a the da Silva Lab (Rania Eltanbouly from Alexandria University in Egypt and Francisco Faggion from The University of Brasilia in Brazil) workedin theproject from this grant and have been fully trained in various aspects of synthesis and characterization of nanocarriers as well as in molecular biology and virology. Dr. da Silva also conducts weekly lab meetings where half of the meeting is to discuss the activities conducted in the Lab during the week and the other half is dedicated to professional development training. In those trainings, we develop activities to enhance the lab members's writing skills, critical thinking, and hypothesis-driving research. For example, the lab members are required to present a scientific article of their choice (a journal club format where we rotate who presents each week) for critical discussions in lab meetings and Dr. da Silva gives lectures and activities related to writing grants and manuscripts and professional development (e.g., how to make a ppt presentation and a poster, and things like how to interview for a job and presenting seminars,...) following the Career Guide from Cornell University Career Services career.cornell.edu. The PD, Dr. da Silva, and the postdoctoral scientist, Dr. Raja Muthuramalingam, were invited to attend the "Workshop to Identify Convergent Nanotechnology Approaches for Precision Delivery of Active Agents in Plants" sponsored by the USDA and NSF held at Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh PA. In this workshop, the attendees were trained on how to ask and pursue the next big question and had the chance to interact with members of NSF and USDA to learn the ways to pursue funding for such an endeavor. Overall, the workshop was intended to converge people, knowledge, approaches, and innovations to imagine non-traditional approaches for the precision delivery of active agents into selected plant compartments to improve the efficiency and resilience of agriculture. The plenary session of keynotes was hybrid and included stakeholders from around the world and each participante gave a short talk on the big idea they have came up with during the workshop. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Besides giving oral and poster presentations in scientific meetings and giving invited seminars at universities in USA and around the world, the PD presented and discussed his findings in growers-related meetings (e.g., the CAES Plant Sciences Day and the 2023 CT Ag Expo and at the CT Connecticut Small Fruit and vegetable Conference. Storrs, CT. Jan 2024.). The PD was also invited to give talks at garden clubs and agri companies interested in finding out more about the research conducted in this grant project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under obj 1 - 15 nanoparticles of different compositions were synthesized and characterized for their potential to be a good carrier of RNAi inducers (dsRNA and siRNA) during the duration of the grant.Chitosan-and tryptophan-based nanocarriers were the best nanocarriers for our purpose (protect and deliver RNA molecules to plants to control viral pathogens) Under obj 2 - through many iterations, we selected the best genomic region for synthesis of dsRNA for controlling PVY (all this information will be available soon in a manuscript that we are finishing writing -The genomic region matters when synthesizing dsRNA for plant virus suppression via RNAi). Under obj 3 - many assays were conducted to determine the best loading capacity (how much dsRNA the nanocarriers can hold), mobility ofthe complexes, nanocarrier-dsRNA, and effectivity in controlling PVY infections in tobacco and potatoes. Bioassays were conducted in a growth chamber, greenhouse, and in the field. The tryptophan-based nanocarrier gave us the best results - 100% PVY infection suppression in all bioassays conducted. Noteworthy, the protection effect lasted over 40 days (plants treated with those complexes were resistant to PVY infection even 40 days after application. On the other hand, plants treated with dsRNA alone didn't have any protection against the target virus after 1 week or so). The tryptophan nanoformulation was filed for provisional patent on Oct 212024 and we are working on a manuscript to publish our outstanding results. We ran microbiome analyses on plants treated with the nanoformulations as well as the rhizosphere around those plants and we found no differences in the microbiome of those plants in comparison to the controls (plans not treated with the nanoformulations).

Publications

  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Daniela Assun��o, Luiz Fernando Evangelista, Talison da Costa, Jarlan Silva, Elisandra Bento, Jorge Alves Neto, Washington da Silva, M�rcia Michelle Ambr�sio, Ion� Holanda. First report of Colletotrichum plurivorum and Colletotrichum truncatum causing anthracnose on melon plants in Brazil. Plant Disease. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-02-24-0379-PDN
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Thangavelu Rajamuthuramalingam, Washington da Silva, Nubia Zuverza-Mena, Christian Dimkpa, Jason C White. Nano-sized Metal Oxide Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Balancing Benefits, Risks, and Risk Management Strategies. Nanoscale 2024. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR01354A
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Raja muthuramalingam Thangavelu and Washington da Silva. Innovative stain-free technique for high-resolution imaging of virus particles via standard transmission electron microscopy. Cell Press - Heliyon 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26172
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Community Input on the Need, Scope, and Development Roadmap of a Proposed National Virtual Biosecurity for Bioenergy Crops Center (NVBBCC)
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Karmous, I., Vaidya, S., Dimkpa, C., da Silva, W.L., Alves Barroso, K., Milagres, J., Zuverza-Mena, N., Bharadwaj, A., Abdelraheem, W., White, J. C., and Elmer, W. H. (2023). Biologically synthesized zinc and copper oxide nanoparticles using Cannabis sativa L. enhance soybean (Glycine max) defense against Fusarium virguliforme. Pest. Biochem. Physiol. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105486
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Rosecleide Maia da Silva, M�rcia Michelle de Queiroz Ambr�sio, Jorge Alves Silva Neto, Jarlan Lucas dos Santos Silva, Talison Eugenio da Costa, Francisco Rom�rio Andrade Figueiredo, Karol Alves Barroso, Washington da Silva, and Ion� Santos Ara�jo Holanda. First report of Lasiodiplodia brasiliensis causing root rot in melon plants in northeastern Brazil. Plant Disease. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-23-1443-PDN
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Gregory V. Lowry, Juan Pablo Giraldo, Nicole F. Steinmetz, Astrid Avellan, Gozde S. Demirer, Kurt D. Ristroph, Gerald J. Wang, Christine O. Hendren, Christopher A. Alabi, Adam Caparco, Washington da Silva, Ivonne Gonz�lez-Gamboa, Khara D.Grieger, Su-Ji Jeon, Mariya V. Khodakovskaya, Hagay Kohay, Vivek Kumar, Raja Muthuramalingam, Hanna Poffenbarger, Swadeshmukul Santra, Robert D. Tilton, Jason C. White. Towards Realizing Nano-enabled Precision Delivery in Plants. Nature Nanotechnology. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01667-5


Progress 01/01/23 to 12/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Other scientists in the area of plant virology and nanotechnology as well as members of the industry and potato growers were reached via seminars and posterspresented at conferences, symposia,and universities by the PD,students, and the postdoctoral scientist hired in this grant. - The PD, Dr. da Silva, gave oral presentations related to this project at eightconferences: Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference. Los Angeles, CA. Nov 2023;Genome Editing Symposium at Texas A&M University. College Station, TX, Oct 2023;ICPP, Lyon, France. Aug 2023;APS Annual Meeting. Denver, CO. Aug 2023;UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium. Amherst, MA. Jul 2023;Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Annual Meeting. Dublin, IR. Apr 2023;National Virtual Biosecurity of Bioenergy Crops Center (NVBBCC) by DoE, Mar 2023; and at theAPS-NED Annual Meeting. Southbury, CT. Mar 2023. The PD gave invited seminars at five Universities: Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-arido. Mossoro, RN, Brazil. Dec 2023;the University of Maryland. College Park, MD. Oct 2023;the Universitat Politècnica de València. Valencia, Spain. Jun 2023;the University of Leeds. Leeds, UK. May 2023; andUCONN Seminar Series. Storrs. Jan 2023. The PD was also invited to attend the USDA-NIFA nano grantees meetingheld in Knoxville, TN. Aug 2023, where he gave a presentation on the data generated so far in this grant and also presented a poster to other nanotechnology PDs. - The students working on this project presented posters at five symposia/conferences: the APS-NED Annual Meeting, APS Annual Meeting, Sussex Symposium (held at Yale University), UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium, and the CAES Postdoctoral Symposium (held at CAES- CT Agri. Exp. Station). Students also gave oral presentations at three symposia: the Sussex Symposium, the UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium, and at the CAES Postdoctoral Symposium (held at CAES- CT Agri. Exp. Station). - The postdoctoral scientist gave four oral presentations: the APS-NED Annual Meeting, the 2023 São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Nanotechnology - Agriculture & Environment (SPSAS NanoAgri&Enviro) held in Campinas SP - Brazil, Sussex Symposium (held at Yale University), and the UMASS Nanotechnology Symposium. Changes/Problems:- As described previously, the nanocarriers types (chitosanand Carbon dots) proposed in the original project, did't holdthe cargos as expected (the dsRNA molecules attached to those NC were easily dissociated from them and the dsRNAs were not protected from enzyme degradations) and therefore they were considered not suitable NCs for our goals. In lieu of those nanocarriers, we synthesized and characterized peptide- and lipid-based NCs to move forward with the project objectives. And our results so far show that those NCs are promising and we are investigating them further to accomplish the objectives proposed. - We noticedthat the lipid-based NCscaused toxicity on treated plants (sprayed plants get burned spots) and we are investigating this finding in more detail. So far, we found that the pH in which those nanocarriers are synthesized seems to play a role in the toxicity observed, we adjusting the pH during NC synthesis and are looking for other reasons for the toxicity observed. - The electrostaticbond between the silica-based NCs and dsRNAs seems to betoo strong and the NCs take too long to release the cargo in the treated plant (over 20 days).We are working on changing the functionalization of those NCs to allow an immediate and constant release of the dsRNA once the complex NC-dsRNA is applied to the plant. This is a work in progress, but we have already seensome differences in the dissociation of dsRNA from silica NCs when we change those NCs' functionalization. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral scientist (Dr. Raja Muthuramalingam), an undergraduate student (Juliana Milagres), four graduate students (Karol Barroso, Wilanyi Reyes, Talison Costa, and Maria Helena Diogenes), and two professors doing their sabbaticals a the da Silva Lab (Rania Eltanbouly from Alexandria University in Egypt and Francisco Faggion from The University of Brasilia in Brazil) are working in the project from this grant and have been fully trained in various aspects of synthesis and characterization of nanocarriers as well as in molecular biology and virology. Dr. da Silva also conducts weekly lab meetings where half of the meeting is to discuss the activities conducted in the Lab during the week and the other half is dedicated to professional development training. In those trainings, we develop activities to enhance the lab members's writing skills, critical thinking, and hypothesis-driving research. For example, the lab members are required to present a scientific article of their choice (a journal club format where we rotate who presents each week) for critical discussions in lab meetings and Dr. da Silva gives lectures and activities related to writing grants and manuscripts and professional development (e.g., how to make a ppt presentation and a poster, and things like how to interview for a job and presenting seminars,...) following the Career Guide from Cornell University Career Services career.cornell.edu. The PD, Dr. da Silva, and the postdoctoral scientist, Dr. Raja Muthuramalingam, were invited to attend the "Workshop to Identify Convergent Nanotechnology Approaches for Precision Delivery of Active Agents in Plants" sponsored by the USDA and NSF held at Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh PA. In this workshop, the attendees were trained on how to ask and pursue the next big question and had the chance to interact with members of NSF and USDA to learn the ways to pursue funding for such an endeavor. Overall, the workshop was intended to convergepeople, knowledge, approaches, and innovations to imagine non-traditional approaches for the precision delivery of active agents into selected plant compartments to improve the efficiency and resilience of agriculture. The plenary session of keynotes was hybrid and included stakeholders from around the world and each participante gave a short talk on the big idea they have came up with during the workshop. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Besides giving oral and poster presentations in scientific meetings and giving invited seminars at universities in USA and around the world, the PD presented and discussed his findings in growers-related meetings (e.g., the CAES Plant Sciences Day and the 2023 CT Ag Expo). The PD was also invited to give talks at garden clubs and agri companies interested in finding out more about the research conducted in this grant project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue the characterization and the bioassays to evaluate the NCs further. Besides, the bioassays in growth chambers, we will set up field trials to evaluate the potential of the complexes, NC-dsRNA, in suppressing virus infections in the field. We set up a small pilot field experiment in the summer of 2023 using all the NCs characterized so far and carrying our dsRNA molecules of interest and got some promising results. While over 40% of the control plants (plants not treated with any of the complexes, NC-dsRNA) got infected by potato virus Y (PVY), none of the plants treated with dsRNA complexes (Silica-, peptide-, and lipid-based NCs) got infected. The pilot field experiment was set up to mimic infection as it occurred in the field - that is, PVY-infected potato plants planted in one-gallon plastic pots were placed in several locations in the experimental plot and the viral vectors, aphids, moved the virus to the potato plants in the field, naturally. Moving forward, we will set up a larger experiment to test if the results acquired in 2023 hold true. From the field experiment plants, we will collect samples to evaluate the NP-dsRNA effect on the microbiome if any.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1 - Synthesis and screening of nanoparticles and loading of target dsRNAs:All three types of nanocarriers (NC) indicated in the original grant proposal (chitosan-, silica-, and Carbon dots-based nanocarriers) were successfully synthesized and characterized by our research team. However, we decided to move on only with the silica NC as neither the chitosan NC nor carbon dots held the cargos very well (the dsRNA molecules attached to those NC were easily dissociated from them and the dsRNAs were not protected from enzyme degradations) and therefore they were considered not suitable NCs for our goals. In lieu of those nanocarriers, we synthesized and characterized peptide- and lipid-based NCs to move forward with the project objectives. Objective 2. Selection of the optimum nucleic acid delivery system:After characterization of the NCs synthesized in objective 1 (Silica-, peptide-, and lipid-based NCs), we used techniques (DLS, gel electrophoresis, TEM, and confocal fluorescence microscopy) to test for the NCs's loading capacity and potential leaching of dsRNA. We concluded that those nanocarriers are suitable for downstream analyses to accomplish objective 3. Objective 3 - Bioassays to evaluate dsRNA-nanoparticles in planta and their efficacy to control virus infections:Bioassays in protected environments (growth chambers and greenhouses) are currently being conducted to accomplish objective 3. The treatments proposed in the original proposal, 1 - mock (plants treated with water solution), 2 - NP (plant treated with nanoparticles only), 3 - dsRNA (plants treated with dsRNA only), and 4 - NP-dsRNA (plants treated with nanoparticle-dsRNA complex), are being used. So far, our preliminary results show that: 1) the peptide-based NCs don't cause any toxicity in tobacco and potato plants and are able to increase the window of protection of dsRNA application from five up to 30 days (in a pilot study, we found that the application of "naked" dsRNAs helped tobacco plants to fight potato virus Y infection up to five days, plants started getting infected by the virus after five of treatment). 2) the lipid-based NCs do hold the dsRNA and are able to deliver to plants; however, they did have a toxicity effect on treated plants and we are investigating this finding in more detail. So far, we found that the pH in which those nanocarriers are synthesized seems to play a role in the toxicity observed. 3) the silica-based NCs didn't cause any visual toxicity to plants and held the dsRNAs very well. However, it seems that the electrostatics bond between the NCs and dsRNAs is too strong and the NCs take too long to release the cargo in the treated plant (over 20 days). This is detrimental to our goal to protect plants from the target virus as plants did get infected in the 15-20 days after application, which is not ideal because a good NC would provide immediate protection to the crop against the target virus. We are working on changing the functionalization of those NCs to allow an immediate and constant release of the dsRNA once the complex NC-dsRNA is applied to the plant. Data from all the analyses performed so far are being compiled and we are working on two manuscripts to submit to high-level peer-review journals.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Dumas, M., Borges, D. F., Priesing, S., Tippett, E., Ambrosio, M. M. Q., da Silva, W. L., Gathered from the vine: a survey of seven grapevine viruses within New England vineyards. 2022. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-22-0668-SR
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nogueira G. A., Araujo G., da Silva, W. L., Ambrosio M. M. Q. Aggressivity of different Fusarium species causing fruit rot in melon in Brazil. 2022. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-04-22-0728-SR
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Borges, D. F., Nogueira, G. A., Cruz, G. A., Silva, S. G. A., da Silva, W., and Ambr�sio, M. M. Q. Changes in soil microbiota induced by the use of commercial products and the incorporation of plant materials. Rev. Caatinga. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252023v36n207rc
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gomes, I. R. F., Silva, J. L. S., Costa, T. E., Pinto, P. S. L., da Silva, W. L., Ambr�sio, M. M. Q., and Holanda, I. S. A. First Report of Cladosporium tenuissimum causing spot diseases on leaves and fruits of cucurbits in Brazil. Plant Disease. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-10-22-2388-PDN
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Karmous, I., Vaidya, S., Dimkpa, C., da Silva, W.L., Alves Barroso, K., Milagres, J., Zuverza-Mena, N., Bharadwaj, A., Abdelraheem, W., White, J. C., and Elmer, W. H. (2023). Biologically synthesized zinc and copper oxide nanoparticles using Cannabis sativa L. enhance soybean (Glycine max) defense against Fusarium virguliforme. Pest. Biochem. Physiol. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105486
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Raja Muthuramalingam Thangavelu, Karol Alves Barroso, Juliana Milagres, Vitoria Tedardi, Felipe Franco de Oliveira, Vanessa Takeshita, Ines Karmous, Rania El-Tanbouly, and Washington Luis da Silva. Tiny but Mighty: Nanoscale Materials in Plant Disease Management. Plant Disease. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-23-0970-FE
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Amirhosein Kazemiyan Jahromi, Ali Esehaghbeygi, Mohammad Sajadi, Ali Nikbakht, Washington da Silva, Bahram Sharifnabi, D. Toghraie. An application of dielectric barrier discharge treatment to control gray mold growth on cut rose flowers. Journal of Stored Products Research. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2023.102170
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Karol Barroso, Juliana Milagres, Teja Shidore, Raja Muthuramalingam, Rania Eltanbouly, Marcia Ambrosio, Washington da Silva., The genomic region matters when synthesizing dsRNA for plant virus suppression via RNAi, PLOS Pathogens. Submitted to PLOS Pathogens.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Rosecleide Maia da Silva, M�rcia Michelle de Queiroz Ambr�sio, Jorge Alves Silva Neto, Jarlan Lucas dos Santos Silva, Talison Eugenio da Costa, Francisco Rom�rio Andrade Figueiredo, Karol Alves Barroso, Washington da Silva, and Ion� Santos Ara�jo Holanda. First report of Lasiodiplodia brasiliensis causing root rot in melon plants in northeastern Brazil. Plant Disease. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-23-1443-PDN
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gregory V. Lowry, Juan Pablo Giraldo, Nicole Steinmetz, Astrid Avellan, Gozde S. Demirer, Kurt Ristroph, Gerald J. Wang, Christine O. Hendren, Christopher A. Alibi, Adam Caparco, Washington Da Silva, et al. Opportunities and Challenges to Realizing Nano-enabled Precision Delivery in Plants. Submitted to Nature Nanotechnology, 2023.


Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Potato growers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this project, the PI and the post-doctoral scientist were invited to attend a Workshop to Identify Convergent Nanotechnology Approaches for the Precision Delivery of Active Agents in Plants, sponsored by the NSF and USDA.The workshop was held on September 19-20, 2022, at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.This was a great opportunity for the attendantsto learn more about nanotechnology and be involved in future directions ofnanotechnologyresearch in agriculture in USA. The undergrad and graduate students and the PI attended the American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting (Plant Health Meeting)2022 inPittsburgh, PA on August 6-10, 2022. The students presented Posters showcasing the research being accomplished under this project. All attendants from this grant participated in workshops and discussions related to the research conducted under this project and shared ideas on how to proceed with future research on the topic. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We arecurrently writing two scientificpublications on the results obtained so far from this project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?More nanocarriers will be synthesized and characterized. Bioassays will be conducted totest the ability of thesenanoparticlestocarryand deliverdsRNA molecules to control plant virus infections. Experiments will be set up to track the fate of the nanocarriers and the dsRNA molecules inside the plant by using confocal microscopy and RT-PCR.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Three Nanocarriers were synthesized (silica,tryptophan, and zein) and are being characterized. Bioassays are being conducted to test the ability of thesenanoparticlestocarryand deliverdsRNA molecules to control plant virus infections.

Publications